@article{01JN936464FWJJ4XSYT1D384FD,
  abstract     = {{Conventional drinking water treatment includes four stages: coagulation-flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. One of the most essential steps of the treatment train is coagulation-flocculation, because it significantly impacts the flocs' settleability and filterability, which in turn affects the efficiency of subsequent steps. Moreover, it has been observed that this treatment step can potentially remove micropollutants, making it a key piece in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal n.6 (Clean water and sanitation). Given its importance and relevance, the optimisation of coagulation-flocculation, often related to the identification of the optimal coagulant dosage, is fundamental to optimise drinking water treatment. Accordingly, this work presents a concerted effort to select the optimal dosage holistically by dynamically characterising crucial floc properties, such as size and shape, through Particle Size Distribution (PSD) and fractal dimension, as well as floc stability through zeta potential. Furthermore, a comprehensive statistical analysis was performed to extract valuable information from the data collected and further support the interpretation of the experimental results. It was found that larger coagulant dosages led to more compact flocs and to an approximation to the isoelectric point, which differed from previously reported results. This apparent contradiction was hypothesised to be related to the characteristics of the initial PSD, which impacted floc growth mechanisms (Cluster-Cluster and Particle-Cluster aggregation). Finally, this work firmly establishes that a holistic description of the flocs' dynamic physicochemical characteristics is fundamental to improve current knowledge of coagulation-flocculation in various fields, and can be leveraged to develop powerful mechanistic and/or data-driven models.}},
  articleno    = {{161055}},
  author       = {{dos Santos Abreu, Diogo Alexandre and Fernandes del Pozo, David and Deruyttere, Emiel and Daly, Aisling and Van der Meeren, Paul and Nopens, Ingmar and Gallo, Juan Pablo}},
  issn         = {{1385-8947}},
  journal      = {{CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL}},
  keywords     = {{Drinking water,Coagulation-flocculation,Optimal dosage,Particle Size Distribution,Floc shape,Zeta potential,OF-THE-ART,COAGULATION/FLOCCULATION PROCESS,FLOCCULATION PROCESS,FRACTAL DIMENSIONS,WATER,STRENGTH,OPTIMIZATION,EVOLUTION,ALUM,PERFORMANCE}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{16}},
  title        = {{A holistic determination of optimal coagulant dosage by exploring the dynamics of particle size distribution, floc structure, and electrochemistry}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.161055}},
  volume       = {{508}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}

Altmetric

View in Altmetric

Web of Science

Times cited: