Felice Chan, Jonathan Christensen, Stephen Jacobs, Ana Oliveira
Abstract:
Novel methods of water treatment, that do not use electricity and only require basic construction materials, are in demand worldwide in remote regions without established centralized water treatment. Gravity-driven unit processes must be developed for these water treatment facilities. Current hydraulic flocculators use baffles with dimensions on the order of meters to generate turbulence and achieve particle aggregation. An alternative approach is to use sand grains, rather than large solid sheets, as flocculator baffles. A fluidized sand bed flocculator occupies much less plan view area, but generates much more head loss. Implementation will depend on a balance of the cost of land and materials against the available hydraulic head.
