Breakage and re-growth of flocs formed by charge neutralization using alum and polyDADMAC

The formation, breakage and re-growth of flocs were investigated using alum and polyDADMAC to explore the reversibility of floc breakage. There is a significant reversibility of the breakage process, i.e. the broken flocs can re-grow to the size before breakage, when charge neutralization dominates the coagulation mechanism. However, for higher alum dosage, the break-up process displayed a distinct irreversibility. When coagulated in charge neutralization, the re-growth process of alum was nearly the same as that of polyDADMAC. The average size, coagulation rate and fractal dimension of flocs before and after breakage were nearly the same, including alum and polyDADMAC. While at higher alum dosage, the average size, coagulation rate and fractal dimension of flocs after breakage were much lower than that before breakage. Most important is that the number of small flocs after breakage and re-growth was much less than before breakage when charge neutralization dominated the coagulation mechanism. On the contrary, at higher alum dosage, the small flocs, after breakage and re-growth, increased. The fractal dimension of flocs with alum increased as coagulation time increased until a limiting floc size was reached, while for higher alum dosage, it decreased, whether before or after breakage. The determining parameter for floc re-growth is probably not the fractal dimension, but rather the chemical characteristics of the flocs surface.     

Laboratory investigation of aluminum solubility and solid-phase properties following alum treatment of lake waters

Water samples from two southern California lakes adversely affected by internal nutrient loading were treated with a 20 mg/L dose of Al3+ in laboratory studies to examine Al solubility and solid-phase speciation over time. Alum [Al2(SO4)3 . 18 H2O] applications to water samples from Big Bear Lake and Lake Elsinore resulted in a rapid initial decrease in pH and alkalinity followed by a gradual recovery in pH over several weeks. Dissolved Al concentrations increased following treatment, reaching a maximum of 2.54 mg/L after 17 days in Lake Elsinore water and 0.91 mg/L after 48 days in Big Bear Lake water; concentrations in both waters then decreased to <0.25 mg/L after 150 days. The solid phase was periodically collected and analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetric analysis (DSC-TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and surface area analyses to investigate the nature of the reaction products and crystallinity development over time. Poorly ordered, X-ray amorphous solid phases transformed over time to relatively well-ordered gibbsite, with strong diffraction peaks at 4.8 and 4.3 A. XRD also indicated the formation of a second (possibly aluminosilicate) crystalline phase after 150 days in Lake Elsinore water. Surface areas also decreased over time as crystals reordered to form gibbsite/microcrystalline gibbsite species. DSC-TGA results suggested that the initially formed amorphous Al(OH)3 underwent transformation to >45% gibbsite. These results were supported by geochemical modeling using Visual MINTEQ, with Al solubility putatively controlled by amorphous Al(OH)3 shortly after treatment and approaching that of microcrystalline gibbsite after about 150 days. These findings indicate that Al(OH)3 formed after alum treatment undergoes significant chemical and mineralogical changes that may alter its effectiveness as a reactive barrier to phosphorus release from lake sediments.     

Effects of chemical amendments on aquatic floc structure, settling and strength

Using a shear-cell/flow-cell combination integrated with an inverted microscope, the behaviour of Hamilton Harbour sediments was studied mixed with three different amendments: alum, chitosan (both coagulants) and a polyacrylamide (a flocculant). Samples from the shear cell were drawn into the flow cell, where floc structure and size were assessed throughout the floc formation and breakage stages using computer image analysis. Settling velocity, density and porosity were also assessed, with results suggesting that amendment addition may be an effective method for the management of high-turbidity environments, provided there are no toxicological effects. In an assessment of performance, it was found that the polyacrylamide flocculant showed the greatest promise in reducing turbidity levels as it produced the largest flocs with the highest settling velocity. Although more prone to break-up, these flocs still remained larger than those formed with alum or chitosan at the same shear. All flocs, regardless of amendment, broke up due to a fracture mechanism rather than by microscale erosion. By improving our understanding of how these amendments may influence floc properties and behaviours, more effective management tools may be developed for the remediation and control of high-turbidity aquatic environments.     

Interaction between Cryptosporidium oocysts and water treatment coagulants

The electrokinetic properties of gamma-irradiated Cryptosporidium oocysts in the presence of coagulants (ferric chloride and alum) and coagulant aids (DADMAC based cationic polyelectrolytes) have been studied. The zeta potential of the oocysts was unaffected by the addition of ferric chloride at all pH values (3-10) studied. Addition of alum resulted in reversal of the oocysts charge, which suggests that the initial stage in the coagulation process leading to floc formation proceeds via the adsorption of hydrolysed aluminium species. The cationic polyelectrolyte Magnafloc LT35 was adsorbed onto iron flocs at doses of 0.1 mg/L even against an electrostatic barrier. The cationic polyelectrolyte only adsorbed and caused charge reversal at the oocyst surface at around 0.4 mg/L, suggesting a lower affinity for this surface. These results indicate that the oocysts, unlike inorganic colloidal materials such as metal oxides, appear to possess a lower surface density of active or charged sites. The lower density of sites, combined with the rapid precipitation of iron salts, may be responsible for the lack of specific adsorption of either hydroxylated ferric species or primary iron hydroxide particles on the oocysts. Further, this suggests that a process of sweep flocculation, where oocysts are engulfed in flocs during coagulation and floc formation, is the more likely mechanism involved. By comparison, it is likely that the specific interaction of hydrolysed aluminium species with the oocysts surface would result in a stronger link at the oocyst-floc interface and that the flocculation process may initially proceed via charge neutralisation.     

Effects of humic acid on physical and hydrodynamic properties of kaolin flocs by particle image velocimetry

The physical and hydrodynamic properties of kaolin flocs including floc size, strength, regrowth, fractal structure and settling velocity were investigated by in situ particle image velocimetry technique at different humic acid concentration. Jar-test experimental results showed that the adsorbed humic acid had a significant influence on the coagulation process for alum and ferric chloride. Kaolin flocs formed with the ferric chloride were larger and stronger than those for alum at same humic acid concentration. Floc strength and regrowth were estimated by strength factor and recovery factor at different humic acid concentration. It was found that the increased humic acid concentration had a slight influence on the strength of kaolin flocs and resulted in much worse floc regrowth. In addition, the floc regrowth after breakage depended on the shear history and coagulants under investigation. The changes in fractal structure recorded continuously by in situ particle image velocimetry technique during the growth-breakage-regrowth processes provided a supporting information that the kaolin flocs exhibited a multilevel structure. It was proved that the increased humic acid concentration resulted in decrease in mass fractal dimension of kaolin flocs and consequently worse sedimentation performance through free-settling and microbalance techniques.     

Effect of two-stage coagulant addition on coagulation-ultrafiltration process for treatment of humic-rich water

A novel two-stage coagulant addition strategy applied in a coagulation-ultrafiltration (UF) process for treatment of humic-rich water at neutral pH was investigated in this study. When aluminum sulfate (alum) doses were set at a ratio of 3:1 added during rapid mix stage and half way through flocculation stage, the integrated process of two-stage alum addition achieved almost the same organic matter removal as that of conventional one-stage alum addition at the same overall dose. Whereas membrane fouling could be effectively mitigated by the two-stage addition exhibited by trans-membrane pressure (TMP) developments. The TMP developments were found to be primarily attributed to external fouling on membrane surface, which was closely associated with floc characteristics. The results of jar tests indicated that the average size of flocs formed in two-stage addition mode roughly reached one half larger than that in one-stage addition mode, which implied a beneficial effect on membrane fouling reduction. Moreover, the flocs with more irregular structure and lower effective density resulted from the two-stage alum addition, which caused higher porosity of cake layer formed by such flocs on membrane surface. Microscopic observations of membrane surface demonstrated that internal fouling in membrane pores could be also remarkably limited by two-stage alum addition. It is likely that the freshly formed hydroxide precipitates were distinct in surface characteristics from the aged precipitates due to formation of more active groups or adsorption of more labile aluminum species. Consequently, the flocs could further connect and aggregate to contribute to preferable properties for filtration performance of the coagulation-UF process. As a simple and efficient approach, two-stage coagulant addition strategy could have great practical significance in coagulation-membrane processes.     

Effect of NOM, turbidity and floc size on the PAC adsorption of MIB during alum coagulation

The effect of natural organic material (NOM) and turbidity on the powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption of the odour compound 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) was evaluated during alum coagulation. The character of the flocs, in terms of their size and fractal dimensions (Df), was used to interpret the observed adsorption behaviour of MIB during the coagulation process. As the alum dose was increased, the adsorption of MIB decreased. This was determined to be due to the size of the flocs, with larger flocs incorporating PAC into their structure, reducing the efficiency of mixing, and the bulk diffusion kinetics for the MIB molecule. The presence of turbidity also reduced MIB adsorption due to the formation of larger flocs. The character of NOM was found to have a greater influence on the adsorption of MIB than the floc structure.     

Cationic polymer and clay or metal oxide combinations for natural organic matter removal.

The effect of adding suspended matter in the form of clay or metal oxide when a cationic polymer was employed as the primary coagulant was found to be beneficial. The solids provide both an adsorbent for natural organic matter (NOM) and a nucleating species for precipitating the NOM-polymer complex. Metal oxides in conjunction with a cationic polymer were more promising than clay, with effectiveness in the order Fe2O3 > Fe3O4 > Al2O3 > MnO2. Magnesium oxide at a much lower dose was nearly as effective as ferric oxide, but of course raised the pH level significantly. A simpler and more convenient way of having reactive solids present was to add alum to form flocs; for one of the waters studied the alum dose could be reduced by 67% by adding 1 mg/L of polymer, to give equal or better performance than alum alone at the optimum dose.     

Application of fractal dimensions to study the structure of flocs formed in lime softening process

The use of fractal dimensions to study the internal structure and settling of flocs formed in lime softening process was investigated. Fractal dimensions of flocs were measured directly on floc images and indirectly from their settling velocity. An optical microscope with a motorized stage was used to measure the fractal dimensions of lime softening flocs directly on their images in 2 and 3D space. The directly determined fractal dimensions of the lime softening flocs were 1.11-1.25 for floc boundary, 1.82-1.99 for cross-sectional area and 2.6-2.99 for floc volume. The fractal dimension determined indirectly from the flocs settling rates was 1.87 that was different from the 3D fractal dimension determined directly on floc images. This discrepancy is due to the following incorrect assumptions used for fractal dimensions determined from floc settling rates: linear relationship between square settling velocity and floc size (Stokes’ Law), Euclidean relationship between floc size and volume, constant fractal dimensions and one primary particle size describing entire population of flocs. Floc settling model incorporating variable floc fractal dimensions as well as variable primary particle size was found to describe the settling velocity of large (>50 μm) lime softening flocs better than Stokes’ Law. Settling velocities of smaller flocs (<50 μm) could still be quite well predicted by Stokes’ Law. The variation of fractal dimensions with lime floc size in this study indicated that two mechanisms are involved in the formation of these flocs: cluster-cluster aggregation for small flocs (<50 μm) and diffusion-limited aggregation for large flocs (>50 μm). Therefore, the relationship between the floc fractal dimension and floc size appears to be determined by floc formation mechanisms.     

吸附架桥机理主导下APAM的多级絮凝效能

对吸附架桥机理主导下阴离子聚丙烯酰胺(APAM)的絮凝过程进行了研究,通过改变絮凝剂投加工况,对比分析常规絮凝与多级絮凝在污染物去除效果、絮体性能、絮体生长动力学与污泥调理能耗等方面的差异。结果表明,相同投药量下,两级絮凝的出水浊度低于三级絮凝和常规絮凝,两级絮凝在最少的APAM投加量(2 mg/L)下达到最低的出水浊度(19.53 NTU);与常规絮凝相比,两级絮凝的絮体成长速率、平均粒径和沉降速率分别增加12.67%、30μm、36.74%。两级絮凝在投加间隔为240 s、投配比为1∶1条件下絮凝效能最优,出水浊度为15.34 NTU,絮体沉降速率为1.1 NTU/s,絮体密度达到1.123 4 g/cm³。絮体破碎再絮凝过程中,两级絮凝与常规絮凝破碎后均能恢复至破碎前水平,但破碎后均出现不可逆的絮体结构破损,粒径在0~100μm的絮体颗粒增多,粒径>400μm的絮体减少,破碎后两级絮凝的絮体强度因子(68.15%)高于常规絮凝(41.63%),两级絮凝的絮体强度和抗破碎剪切能力更高。在剩余污泥调理方面,两级絮凝产生的污泥只需要投加40mg/L的APAM就可以达到最低的滤饼含水率(75.5%)。因此,两级絮凝可以显著提升除浊效能与絮体性能,是强化絮凝的发展方向。     

The impact of pH on floc structure characteristic of polyferric chloride in a low DOC and high alkalinity surface water treatment

The adjustment of pH is an important way to enhance removal efficiency in coagulation units, and in this process, the floc size, strength and structure can be changed, influencing the subsequent solid/liquid separation effect. In this study, an inorganic polymer coagulant, polyferric chloride (PFC) was used in a low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and high alkalinity surface water treatment. The influence of coagulation pH on removal efficiency, floc growth, strength, re-growth capability and fractal dimension was examined. The optimum dosage was predetermined as 0.150 mmol/L, and excellent particle and organic matter removal appeared in the pH range of 5.50-5.75. The structure characteristics of flocs formed under four pH conditions were investigated through the analysis of floc size, effect of shear and particle scattering properties by a laser scattering instrument. The results indicated that flocs formed at neutral pH condition gave the largest floc size and the highest growth rate. During the coagulation period, the fractal dimension of floc aggregates increased in the first minutes and then decreased and larger flocs generally had smaller fractal dimensions. The floc strength, which was assessed by the relationship of floc diameter and velocity gradient, decreased with the increase of coagulation pH. Flocs formed at pH 4.00 had better recovery capability when exposed to lower shear forces, while flocs formed at neutral and alkaline conditions had better performance under higher shear forces.     

Strength of natural soil flocs

To obtain the strength of flocs against breakup is crucial for controlling flocculation in water treatment and predicting transport of colloidal particles in aqueous environments. Recently, the author reported a method to obtain floc strength from a simple experiment of floc breakup subjected to a laminar converging flow. In this study, this method was applied to natural soil flocs. The flocs were formed by coagulation with 0.5 M NaCl (pH 5.4-5.5, pH 6.6) solutions, 0.1M CaCl2 (pH 6.4-6.9) solutions, or acidified distilled water with dilute HCl (pH 5.6). Obtained floc strengths were 0.3, 0.7 and 4 nN for Na-, Ca-, and H-coagulated flocs, respectively. Also, floc strength did not change with floc size. These values of floc strengths were 1-3 orders smaller than those of flocs formed with polymer flocculants and/or precipitated ferric or aluminum coagulants.     

Mechanisms of virus control during iron electrocoagulation--microfiltration of surface water

Results from a laboratory-scale study evaluating virus control by a hybrid iron electrocoagulation - microfiltration process revealed only 1.0-1.5 log MS2 bacteriophage reduction even at relatively high iron dosages (∼13 mg/L as Fe) for natural surface water containing moderate natural organic matter (NOM) concentrations (4.5 mg/L dissolved organic carbon, DOC). In contrast, much greater reductions were measured (6.5-log at pH 6.4 and 4-log at pH 7.5) at similar iron dosages for synthetic water that was devoid of NOM. Quantitative agreement with Faraday’s law with 2-electron transfer and speciation with phenanthroline demonstrated electrochemical generation of soluble ferrous iron. Near quantitative extraction of viruses by dissolving flocs formed in synthetic water provided direct evidence of their removal by sorption and enmeshment onto iron hydroxide flocs. In contrast, only approximately 1% of the viruses were associated with the flocs formed in natural water consistent with the measured poor removals. 1-2 logs of virus inactivation were also observed in the electrochemical cell for synthetic water (no NOM) but not for surface water (4.5 mg/L DOC). Sweep flocculation was the dominant destabilization mechanism since the ζ potential did not reach zero even when 6-log virus reductions were achieved. Charge neutralization only played a secondary role since ζ potential → 0 with increasing iron electrocoagulant dosage. Importantly, virus removal from synthetic water decreased when Suwanee River Humic Acid was added. Therefore, NOM present in natural waters appears to reduce the effectiveness of iron electrocoagulation pretreatment to microfiltration for virus control by complexing ferrous ions. This inhibits (i) Fe²⁺ oxidation, precipitation, and virus destabilization and (ii) virus inactivation through reactive oxygen species intermediates or by direct interactions with Fe²⁺ ions.     

SBR-絮凝-微滤工艺处理高浓度生活污水的试验研究

采用SBR-化学絮凝-微滤分离膜对高浓度生活污水进行处理,SBR处理系统的运行周期为14h,好氧/缺氧时间比为1.5：1,HRT为15d。实验结果表明：SBR生物处理系统对有机物和NH4-N的去除效果显著;化学絮凝对磷酸盐的去除作用优良,硅藻土效果最佳;微滤分离膜能有效去除浊度和水体中的悬浮物。SBR-化学絮凝-微滤分离膜处理系统的出水水质优良,可满足市政杂用和生活杂用要求。     

Floc morphology and cyclic shearing recovery: comparison of alum and polyaluminum chloride coagulants

This study investigated the floc formation and re-aggregation potential for alum, polyaluminum chloride (PACl) and a blend of these coagulants. Bench-scale testing included floc morphology characterization for well-developed floc, post-shear floc, and non-settleable (filter influent) floc. Different applications of coagulants were observed to produce non-settleable floc that was morphologically different. The alum treatment had a decrease in average floc size from coagulated to non-settleable conditions, whereas the PACl and PACl/alum treatments resulted in similar sized floc between these processes. Zeta potential distribution measurements showed that the alum treatment resulted in a negative shift from coagulated to non-settleable conditions whereas the PACl and PACl/alum treatments had no significant shift. A photometric dispersion analyzer (PDA) was employed to compare the differences between coagulant treatments with respect to shear induced aggregate breakup and recovery. The PDA allowed a dynamic monitoring of initial floc aggregation and measured the degree of recovery from cyclic shearing. The degree of recovery from shearing was greatest for the PACl/alum treatment likely as a result of increased collision efficiency due to more effective charge neutralization.     

Long-term (1956-1999) dynamics of phosphorus in a shallow, subtropical Chinese lake with the possible effects of cyanobacterial blooms.

This paper describes the long-term dynamics of phosphorus concentrations in both the lake water and the sediment in a subtropical Chinese lake, Lake Donghu. The total phosphorus (TP) concentration in the lake water experienced an upward trend from the 1950s, and peaked in 1983/1984, but declined obviously afterwards. From the 1950s to thel990s. TP content in the upper 10cm sediment of the lake increased steadily from 0.307 to 1.68mg P gDW(-1) at Station I and from 0.151 to 0.89 mg P g DW(-1) at Station II, respectively. The TP increase in the lake water before mid-1980s was mainly attributed to the massive input of sewage P. The outbreak of cyanobacterial blooms coincided with the peaks of TP and Orthophosphate (PO4-P) in the water in mid-1980s, and the maximum TP of the water reached as high as 1.349mg/l at Station I and 0.757mg/l at Station II (in 1984), respectively. The declines of TP and P04-P in the water after mid-1980s was coincident with the disappearance of cyanobacterial bloom.     

Mobilization of arsenic by dissolved organic matter from iron oxides, soils and sediments

The arsenic contamination of aquifers has been linked to the input of dissolved organic matter (DOM). In light of this suggestion, the aim of this study was to quantify chemical effects of DOM on desorption and redox transformations of arsenic bound to synthetic iron oxide and natural samples from different geochemical environments (soils, shallow aquifer, lake sediment). In batch experiments, solutions containing 25-50 mg/L of two different types of DOM (purified peat humic acid and DOM from a peat drainage) were used as extractants in comparison to inorganic solutions. DOM solution was able to mobilize arsenic from all solid phases. Mobilization from iron oxides (maximum: 53.3%) was larger than from natural samples (maximum: 2.9%). The mobilization effect of extractants decreased in the order HCl>NaH2PO4>DOM>NaNO3. DOM solutions, therefore, mainly targeted weakly sorbed arsenic. Mobilization was complete within 24-36 h and DOM was sorbed during incubation indicating competition for sorption sites. The same patterns were observed for different DOM types and concentrations. Addition of DOM lead to (a) enhanced reduction (maximum 7.8%) and oxidation (6.4%) of arsenic in aqueous solution and (b) the appearance of arsenite in aqueous phase of soil samples (5.5%). As the primary mechanism for the arsenic release from solid phases we identified the competition between arsenic and organic anions for sorption sites, whereas redox reactions were probably of minor importance. The results of this study demonstrate that sorption of DOM has a strong potential to mobilize arsenic from soils and sediments.     

Field assessment of lead immobilization in a contaminated soil after phosphate application

A pilot-scale field demonstration was conducted at a Pb-contaminated site to assess the effectiveness of Pb immobilization using P amendments. The test site was contaminated by past battery recycling activities, with average soil Pb concentration of 1.16%. Phosphate amendments were applied at a 4.0 molar ratio of P/Pb with three treatments: T1, 100% P from H(3)PO(4); T2, 50% from H(3)PO(4)+50% from Ca(H(2)PO(4))(2); and T3, 50% from H(3)PO(4)+5% phosphate rock. Soil samples were collected and characterized 220 days after P application. Surface soil pH was reduced from 6.45 to 5.05 in T1, to 5.22 in T2, and to 5.71 in T3. Phosphate treatments effectively transformed up to 60% of total soil Pb from the non-residual fraction (sum of water soluble and exchangeable, carbonate, Fe-Mn oxide, and organic fractions) to the residual fraction relative to the control. In addition, P treatments reduced Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) Pb from 82 mg l(-1) to below EPA's regulatory level of 5 mg l(-1) in the surface soil. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated formation of insoluble chloropyromorphite [Pb(5)(PO(4))(3)Cl] mineral in the P-treated soils. Although H(3)PO(4) is necessary to dissolve meta-stable Pb in soil for further lead immobilization, it should be used with caution due to its potential secondary contamination. A mixture of H(3)PO(4) and Ca(H(2)PO(4))(2) or phosphate rock was effective in immobilizing Pb with minimum adverse impacts associated with pH reduction.     

Evaluation of iron-phosphate as a source of internal lake phosphorus loadings

Biological, physical and chemical characteristics of the water column of a shallow (Zmax = 9.2 m), small (surface area 3.8 km2) residential and recreational lake near Prince George, British Columbia, indicated that the system was being loaded internally with phosphorus (P) from the sediments. The abundance of P released from the fine glaciolacustrine, and organic rich sediments was resulting in excess algal and weed growth. It was postulated that iron-phosphate reduction at redox potentials below approximately 200 mV and/or bacterially mediated orthophosphate (PO4-P) releases could be occurring. The development of an appropriate nutrient management strategy required that the process associated with the sediment P release be determined. The MINTEQA2 geochemical model was used to predict the release of orthophosphate (PO4-P) into the interstitial water with the assumption that P is present alternately as strengite, variscite and hydroxyapatite. The predicted release of PO4-P from these P containing minerals was compared to the concentration of PO4-P and total phosphorus (TP) in the overlying hypolimnion. In order to improve the accuracy of the model prediction, the proportion of the sediment present as iron-bound phosphate was estimated. A significant correlation between the observed hypolimnetic TP and interstitial PO4-P concentrations as predicted from iron-bound P dissolution (r2 = 0.59) was found. Total phosphorus release rates to the hypolimnion were also found to be strongly correlated to the iron-bound P component of the sediment (r2 = 0.88). Multivariate regression analyses showed significant relationships between hypolimnetic PO4-P and sediment iron-bound P, Eh, and interstitial Fe (r2 = 0.76). These results provided sufficient evidence to conclude that PO4-P in the system is predominantly bound to Fe-containing minerals and therefore could be managed using treatment techniques that address iron-bound phosphates.     

Predicting the settling velocity of flocs formed in water treatment using multiple fractal dimensions

Here we introduce a distribution of floc fractal dimensions as opposed to a single fractal dimension value into the floc settling velocity model developed in earlier studies. The distribution of fractal dimensions for a single floc size was assumed to cover a range from 1.9 to 3.0. This range was selected based on the theoretically determined fractal dimensions for diffusion-limited and cluster-cluster aggregation. These two aggregation mechanisms are involved in the formation of the lime softening flocs analyzed in this study. Fractal dimensions were generated under the assumption that a floc can have any value of normally distributed fractal dimensions ranging from 1.9-3.0. A range of settling velocities for a single floc size was calculated based on the distribution of fractal dimensions. The assumption of multiple fractal dimensions for a single floc size resulted in a non-unique relationship between the floc size and the floc settling velocity, i.e., several different settling velocities were calculated for one floc size. The settling velocities calculated according to the model ranged from 0 to 10 mm/s (average 2.22 mm/s) for the majority of flocs in the size range of 1-250 μm (average 125 μm). The experimentally measured settling velocities of flocs ranged from 0.1 to 7.1 mm/s (average 2.37 mm/s) for the flocs with equivalent diameters from 10 μm to 260 μm (average 124 μm). Experimentally determined floc settling velocities were predicted well by the floc settling model incorporating distributions of floc fractal dimensions calculated based on the knowledge of the mechanisms of aggregation, i.e., cluster-cluster aggregation and diffusion-limited aggregation.