Research Over Bio-Flocculation Application in Sedimentation of Mineral Suspension

Abstract

The velocity of mineral suspensions sedimentation, especially the fine-grained ones is important issue concerning densification and filtration processes in industrial plants and wastewater treatment plants. Many factors influence on sedimentation velocity. They are connected, i. a., with characteristics of water where the process occurs and addition of speeding agents – flocculants. Currently the most known and used on large scale are synthetic flocculants. They are chemical compounds of efficient activity but relatively expensive. It is known that during wastewater treatment process the metabolic changes occur causing that microorganisms living in activated sludge produce slimy substance which chemically is like polymers. The purpose of the investigation presented in the paper is to check the possibility of applying the activated sludge originated from municipal sewage treatment plant and biomass of blastomyces of the sort Rhodotorula as the agents speeding the sedimentation of coal slime wastes up. The paper presents the results of laboratory tests – tests of coal slime wastes sedimentation on the basis of which the sedimentation velocity and parameters of condensed sludge (mean final densification and solid phase contents in sludge) were calculated. The investigation presented in the paper confirmed the possibility of application of microorganisms to mineral suspensions flocculation.