Electrolyte induced coagulation processes

Although some inorganic salts can act as indifferent (non-adsorbing) electrolytes, the more important types of coagulant from a process engineering viewpoint are the salts of multivalent metal ions such as Ca, Fe +, Fe and Al +. These ions hydrolyse or specifically adsorb to particle surfaces to induce coagulation. 

In chemical engineering and mineral processing the term flocculation is used for aggregation induced by the addition of polymer while coagulation indicates aggregation induced by the addition of electrolyte. 

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