Optimising your water treatment process

Surface water treatment, water remediation and waste water treatment are critical issues in providing safe drinking water. Control of turbidity and removal of NOM remains one of the main challenges facing water utilities. Control of the flocculation process and adjustment of coagulant dose during the course of water and waste water treatment is often a challenging step in the water treatment process.

Zeta potential is a measure of the electrical potential between particles, and indicates the repulsive interaction between particles; a zero zeta potential means that the conditions for aggregation of contaminants are maximized. Monitoring zeta potential during the water treatment process allows for accurate and precise assessment of the charge neutralization process. Zeta potential provides a measurable value to monitor the optimal coagulant dose during the water clarification process.
The benefits of using zeta potential measurement to determine water treatment-control strategies have been documented through case studies and will be reviewed. Results from both laboratory analyzers (Zetasizer Nano Z) and the on-line, automatic system (Zetasizer WT) will be discussed. Based on plant processing requirements, on-line real time monitoring is often preferred so that small changes in zeta potential can be immediately identified for water treatment optimization.

Heavy metals at trace levels present in industrial and mining waste water is an environmental hazard and companies are required to treat waste water before discharging. Water treatment for heavy metal removal becomes important in case of Acid Mine Drainage, tailings dam monitoring and process water re-use or disposal. Real time analysis of heavy metals is beneficial to optimise use of additives in treatment plants saving huge costs as well as for closely monitoring treatment water to comply with environmental regulations. Heavy metal analysis by Xray fluorescence (EDXRF) is fast and can be performed in real time with data available every few minutes giving quick feedback to the process optimisation. An online analyser like our XFlow can measure multiple elements in the stream and provide precise results down to low ppm levels for many heavy elements comparable with laboratory analysis using XRFs like our Epsilon series or other analytical techniques.

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