• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.1083-1089
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• 2005

Most experimental studies available in the literature on filtration are based on observed average zeta potential of particles (usually 10 measurements). However, analyses of data using the average zeta potential alone can lead to misleading and erroneous conclusions about the attachment behavior because of the variation of particle zeta potentials and the heterogeneous distribution of the collector surface charge. To study characteristics of zeta potential, zeta potential distributions (ZPDs) of silica particles under 9 different chemical conditions were investigated. Contrary to many researchers’ assumptions, most of the ZPDs of silica particles were broad. The solids concentration removal was better near the isoelectric point (IEP) as many researchers have noticed, thus proper destabilization of particles is very important to achieve better particle removal in particle separation processes. While, the mean zeta potential of silica particles at a given coagulant dose was a function of particle concentration; the amount of needed coagulant for particle destabilization was proportional to the total surface charge area of particles in the suspension.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.666-672
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• 2004

Granular media filtration is used almost universally as the last particle removal process in conventional water treatment plants. Therefore, superb particle removal efficiency is needed during this process to ensure a high quality of drinking water. However, every particle can not be removed during granular media filtration. Besides the pattern of particle attachment is different depending on physicochemical aspects of particles and suspension. Filtration experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale filter using spherical glass beads with a diameter of 0.55 mm as collectors. A single type of particle suspension (Min-U-Sil 5) and pH control was used to destabilize particles. The operating conditions were similar to those of standard media filtration practice: a filtration velocity of 5 m/h. More favorable particles, i.e., particles with smaller surface charge, were well attached to the collectors especially during the early stage of filtration. This selective attachment of the lower charged particles caused the zeta potential distribution (ZPD) of the effluent to move to a more negative range. On the other hand, the ZPD of the effluent did not keep moving from less negative to more negative during the later stages of filtration, and this result was thought to be caused by two reasons: ripening effects and the detachment of flocs.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.625-630
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• 2004

Granular media filtration is used almost universally as the last particle removal process in conventional water treatment plants. Therefore, superb particle removal efficiency is needed during this process to ensure a high quality of drinking water. However, every particle can not be removed during granular media filtration. Besides the pattern of particle attachment is different depending on physicochemical aspects of particles and suspension. Filtration experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale filter using spherical glass beads with a diameter of 0.55 mm as collectors. A single type of particle suspension (Min-U-Sil 5) and alum coagulation was used to destabilize particles. The operating conditions were similar to those of standard media filtration practice: a filtration velocity of 5 m/h. More favorable particles, i.e., particles with smaller surface charge, were well attached to the collectors especially during the early stage of filtration when zeta potential of particles and collectors are both negative. This selective attachment of the lower charged particles caused the zeta potential distribution (ZPD) of the effluent to move to a more negative range. On the other hand, the ZPDs of the effluent moved from more positive to less positive when the surface charge of particles was positive and this result was thought to be caused by ion transfer between particles and collectors.