Contribution to the study of flocculation of digestate

The paper deals with the intensification of separating the solid phase of digestate using flocculants only. The separated solid phase should subsequently be used in agriculture for fertilising. Flocculants (polyacrylamides) are difficult to biodegrade. In this respect, they should not deteriorate the properties of the solid phase and the flocculant dose must be as low as possible. The research aimed to identify the optimal cationic flocculant and its application procedure which would enable a dosage that would be both economically and ecologically acceptable. We tested 21 cationic flocculants of different charge density and molecular weight and 1 mixture of two selected flocculants (Sokoflok 53 and Sokoflok 54) with the aim to discover the lowest possible dose of flocculating agent to achieve the effective aggregation of digestate particles. The lowest flocculant doses were obtained using the mixture of flocculants labelled Sokoflok 53 and Sokoflok 54 in 4:1 proportion, both of a low charge density and medium molecular weight, namely 14.54 g/kg of total solids for a digestate from the biogas plant Stonava and namely 11.80 g/kg of total solids for a digestate from the biogas plant Vrahovice. The findings also reveal that flocculation is most effective during two-stage flocculant dosing at different mixing time and intensity

Interaction and flocculation of spherical colloids wetted by a surface-induced corona of paranematic order

Particles dispersed in a liquid crystal above the nematic-isotropic phase transition are wetted by a surface-induced corona of paranematic order. Such coronas give rise to pronounced two-particle interactions. In this article, we report details on the analytical and numerical study of these interactions published recently [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 3915 (2001)]. We especially demonstrate how for large particle separations the asymptotic form of a Yukawa potential arises. We show that the Yukawa potential is a surprisingly good description for the two-particle interactions down to distances of the order of the nematic coherence length. Based on this fact, we extend earlier studies on a temperature induced flocculation transition in electrostatically stabilized colloidal dispersions [Phys. Rev. E 61, 2831 (2000)]. We employ the Yukawa potential to establish a flocculation diagram for a much larger range of the electrostatic parameters, namely the surface charge density and the Debye screening length. As a new feature, a kinetically stabilized dispersion close to the nematic-isotropic phase transition is found.Comment: Revtex v4.0, 16 pages, 12 Postscript figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

The impacts of replacing air bubbles with microspheres for the clarification of algae from low cell-density culture

Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) is a well-known coagulation–flotation system applied at large scale for microalgae harvesting. Compared to conventional harvesting technologies DAF allows high cell recovery at lower energy demand. By replacing microbubbles with microspheres, the innovative Ballasted Dissolved Air Flotation (BDAF) technique has been reported to achieve the same algae cell removal efficiency, while saving up to 80% of the energy required for the conventional DAF unit. Using three different algae cultures (Scenedesmus obliquus, Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira maxima), the present work investigated the practical, economic and environmental advantages of the BDAF system compared to the DAF system. 99% cells separation was achieved with both systems, nevertheless, the BDAF technology allowed up to 95% coagulant reduction depending on the algae species and the pH conditions adopted. In terms of floc structure and strength, the inclusion of microspheres in the algae floc generated a looser aggregate, showing a more compact structure within single cell alga, than large and filamentous cells. Overall, BDAF appeared to be a more reliable and sustainable harvesting system than DAF, as it allowed equal cells recovery reducing energy inputs, coagulant demand and carbon emissions

Numerical modelling of the filling of formworks with self-compacting concrete

This paper describes the numerical modelling of the flow of self-compacting concrete (SCC) in column and wall formworks during the filling process. It is subdivided in four main parts. In the first part, the rheological properties of SCC and the theory regarding the pressure exerted by the SCC on the formworks are shortly described. In the second part, the formwork filling tests, that have been carried out at the Magnel Laboratory for Concrete Research of the Ghent University, are presented. The general layout of the tests and the measurement set-up are clearly described. In the third part, the numerical modelling of the flow of SCC using a commercially available solver is explained as well as the obtained results from the CFD simulations. Finally in the last part, a comparison is made between the measurements and the simulation results. The formwork pressures are hydrostatic for SCC pumped from the base of the formworks