A case study of dissolved air flotation for seasonal high turbidity water in Korea

A DAF (Dissolved-Air-Flotation) process has been designed considering raw water quality characteristics in Korea. Although direct filtration is usually operated, DAF is operated when freshwater algae blooms occur or raw water turbidity becomes high. Pre-sedimentation is operated in case when the raw water turbidity is very high due to rainstorms. A main feature of this plant is that the operation mode can be changed (controlled) based on the characteristics of the raw water to optimize the effluent quality and the operation costs. Treatment capacity (surface loading rate) and efficiency of DAF was found to be better than the conventional sedimentation process. Moreover, low-density particles (algae and alum flocs) are easily separated while the removal of them by sedimentation is more difficult. One of the main concerns for DAF operation is a high raw water turbidity. DAF is not adequate for raw water, which is more turbid than 100 NTU. In order to avoid this problem, pre-sedimentation basins are installed in the DAF plant to decrease the turbidity of the DAF inflow. For simulation of the actual operation, bench and full-scale tests were performed for highly turbid water conditions. Consequently, it is suggested that pre-sedimentation with optimum coagulation prior to DAF is the appropriate treatment scheme.