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A Low-Cost Method of Measuring the In Situ Primary Productivity of Periphyton Communities of Lentic Waters
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Low energy ballasted flotation.

P Jarvis1, P Buckingham, B Holden

  • 1Centre for Water Science, Cranfield University, SIMS, Building 39, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK.

Water Research
|June 16, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A novel ballasted flotation process using low-density beads can improve algae removal and reduce turbidity. This bead-based system, alone or combined with dissolved air flotation (DAF), offers significant energy savings for water treatment.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Water Treatment Technologies
  • Separation Processes

Background:

  • Conventional dissolved air flotation (DAF) is widely used for algae removal.
  • DAF can be energy-intensive and may have limitations in removing certain algal species or achieving very low turbidity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate a novel ballasted flotation process using low-density beads as an alternative or supplement to DAF for algae removal.
  • To evaluate the efficiency of bead-only and hybrid bead-DAF systems in reducing turbidity and removing different algal species.
  • To assess the potential energy savings of the novel process.

Main Methods:

  • Bench-scale flotation trials were conducted using three algal species: Microcystis, Melosira, and Chlorella.
  • Experiments involved conventional DAF, ballasted flotation with glass beads (70 µm, 100 kg m⁻³), and a hybrid bead-DAF process.
  • Residual turbidity and algae removal percentages were measured for each configuration.

Main Results:

  • The bead-only system achieved better residual turbidity than standard DAF at 500 mg L⁻¹ bead concentration.
  • Combining beads with DAF further reduced turbidity to lower residual levels.
  • Algae removal improved with glass beads; Microcystis removal was 97% (bead-only), Melosira 81% (bead-only) vs 76% (DAF), and Chlorella improved from 63% (bead-only) to 86% (hybrid with low air recycle).

Conclusions:

  • Ballasted flotation with low-density beads is an effective method for enhancing algae removal and reducing turbidity.
  • The hybrid bead-DAF process shows promise for efficient algae removal with reduced air requirements.
  • The novel process offers a potential pathway for developing low-energy separation techniques for algae removal, with estimated energy reductions of at least 50%.