Dissolved air flotation process

The dissolved-air flotation process is most commonly used for sewage and potable water treatment. It is also gaining popularity for the treatment of slaughterhouse, poultry processing, seafood processing, soap, and food processing wastes (Zoubulis et. al., 1991). 

Air needs to be dissolved in water under pressure at 20°C for use in a dissolved-air flotation process (see Chapter 8). The vapor-liquid equilibrium between air and water can be predicted by Henry s Law with a constant of 6.7 x 104 bar. Estimate the mole fraction of air that can be dissolved at 20°C, at a pressure of 10 bar. 

The ballast treatment facility studied is located at the terminal of the Alaska pipeline in Port Valdez, Alaska. The treatment involves primary separation by gravity in 430,000-barrel-capacity tanks, followed by a secondary treatment consisting of a combination of chemically aided flocculation and dissolved air flotation processes, with final pH adjustment and an effluent impound basin. The total residence time of ballast water in the treatment facility is usually less than 48 hr. 

In a couple of particular papers, the application of LD particle sizer to measure the size distribution of micro-bubbles are mentioned. Couto et al. [44] performed micro-bubble size distribution measurements by the laser diffraction technique. It was concluded that the size distribution of micro-bubbles generated for the dissolved air flotation process could be assessed on a fast and reliable way by the application of the laser diffraction technique. The micro-bubble size distribution was measured by the Mastersizer 2000 SM equipment from Malvern Instruments, UK. The instrument specifications state that analysis in the particle range from 0.1 to 2000 ttm is possible, and the data interpretation computations could either be performed by use of the... 

Two main operational variables that differentiate the flotation of finely dispersed coUoids and precipitates in water treatment from the flotation of minerals is the need for quiescent pulp conditions (low turbulence) and the need for very fine bubble sizes in the former. This is accompHshed by the use of electroflotation and dissolved air flotation instead of mechanically generated bubbles which is common in mineral flotation practice. Electroflotation is a technique where fine gas bubbles (hydrogen and oxygen) are generated in the pulp by the appHcation of electricity to electrodes. These very fine bubbles are more suited to the flotation of very fine particles encountered in water treatment. Its industrial usage is not widespread. Dissolved air flotation is similar to vacuum flotation. Air-saturated slurries are subjected to vacuum for the generation of bubbles. The process finds limited appHcation in water treatment and in paper pulp effluent purification. The need to mn it batchwise renders it less versatile. 

Dissolved Air Flotation. Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is used to separate suspended soflds and oil and grease from aqueous streams and to concentrate or thicken sludges. Air bubbles carry or float these materials to the surface where they can be removed. The air bubbles are formed by pressurizing either the influent wastewater or a portion of the effluent in the presence of air. When the pressurized stream enters the flotation tank which is at atmospheric pressure, the dissolved air comes out of solution as tiny, microscopic bubbles. Dissolved air flotation is used in many wastewater treatment systems, but in the United States it is perhaps best known with respect to hazardous waste because it is associated with the Hsted waste, K048, DAF flotation soflds from petroleum refining wastewaters. Of course, the process itself is not what is hazardous, but the materials it helps to remove from refining wastewaters. 

Low concentrations of oil can be removed by dissolved air flotation (DAF). In this process, an effluent recycle is pressurized in the presence of excess air, causing additional air to go into solution, in accordance with Henry s Law. When this water is discharged to the inlet chamber of the flotation unit at close to atmospheric pressure, the dissolved air comes out of solution in the form of tiny air bubbles which attach themselves to and become enmeshed in suspended solids and oil globules. The primary design criteria is the air/solids ratio, which is defined as the mass of air released divided by the mass of solids fed. Sufficient air must be released to capture the solids in the influent wastewater. The performance of DAF for the treatment of several... 

FIG. 14-97 The Flotator dissolved-air flotation thickener. (Process Kngineets, Inc., a division ofEtmco Corp., now Envitotech Corporation.)... 

In contrast to vacuum flotation, dissolved-air flotation units can be operated on a continuous basis by the application of pressure. This consists of pressurizing and aerating the process stream and introducing it into the flotation vessel that is maintained at the atmospheric pressure. The reduction of pressure results in the formation of fine air bubbles and the collection of fine particulates to be floated and removed as sludge. 

Other plant-scale applications to pollution control include the flotation of suspended sewage particles by depressurizing so as to release dissolved air [Jenkins, Scherfig, and Eckhoff, Applications of Adsorptive Bubble Separation Techniques to Wastewater Treatment, in Lemlich (ed.). Adsorptive Bubble Separation Techniques, Academic, New York, 1972, chap. 14 and Richter, Internat. Chem. Eng, 16,614 (1976)]. Dissolved-air flotation is also employed in treating waste-water from pulp and paper mills [Coertze, Prog. Water TechnoL, 10, 449(1978) and Severeid, TAPPl 62(2), 61, 1979]. In addition, there is the flotation, with electrolytically released bubbles [Chambers and Cottrell, Chem. Eng, 83(16), 95 (1976)], of oily iron dust [Ellwood, Chem. Eng, 75(16), 82 (1968)] and of a variety of wastes from surface-treatment processes at the maintenance and overhaul base of an airline [Roth and Ferguson, Desalination, 23, 49 (1977)]. 

It should be noted that dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a more effective process for clarification.8-10 As shown in Appendix D, with an additional step of chromium reduction, the secondary treatment system effectively removed chromium (over 99%), copper (89%), cadmium (64%), lead (67%), and zinc (77%). 

Clarification by either sedimentation or dissolved air flotation is the most common solid-water separation technique used for the removal of precipitates. In this process application, clarification... 

This facility produces 110 m2/h of enameled steel and operates 4000 h/yr. It uses 0.0042 m3 water/m2 of product in coating operations. Average process water flow is 1.69 m3/h for coating operations and 0.466 m3/h for metal preparation. The primary in-place treatment is chemical coagulation and clarification. Clarification can be either settling or dissolved air flotation. 

Sedimentation and dissolved air flotation are the most common clarification processes for removal of precipitates. Either sedimentation or flotation is often preceded by chemical coagulation or precipitation, which converts dissolved pollutants to a suspended form, and by flocculation, which enhances clarification by flocculating suspended solids into larger, more easily separating particles. Simple sedimentation normally requires a long retention time to adequately reduce the solids content. The detention time of dissolved air flotation, however, is much shorter. When chemicals are used, retention times are reduced and clarification removal efficiency of either sedimentation or flotation is increased. A properly operated clarification system is capable of efficient removal of suspended solids, metal hydroxides, and other wastewater impurities.10-12... 

Perhaps the most efficient but least recognized process for groundwater decontamination is dissolved gas flotation, also known as dissolved air flotation (DAF), in which air is used for the generation of extremely line air bubbles having diameters less than 80 pm. 

A common modification of this process is dissolved air flotation (DAF), in which air under pressure is injected into the wastewater. DAF units are more efficient than conventional flotation clarifiers because more air is introduced into the wastewater, thereby removing more solids.43 5-59... 

Additional research conducted by LIWT88 91 has shown that the wastestreams, such as those shown in Figure 21.11, can be effectively treated by the two-stage biological-physicochemical process system or two-stage DAF-DAFF (dissolved air flotation-filtration) process system. The readers are referred to the literature88-91 for details. 

Sepaflot A process for removing solids and oil from wastewater by a combination of Activated Sludge treatment and dissolved air flotation. Offered by Lurgi. 

Dissolved air flotation (DAL) is another process used to remove oil and grease constituents. In this process, groundwater (or some fraction thereof) is saturated... 

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