Colour and turbidity removal with reusable magnetite particles—VI: Pilot plant operation

A novel process which utilizes fine magnetite particles for the removal of colour and turbidity from water has been tested in a 60 1 min⁻¹ pilot plant on water from an unconfined aquifer in Perth, Western Australia. The performance of the pilot plant closely matched jar test results. The process design was optimized to achieve a high quality product water on a raw feed which was difficult to treat in the conventional alum coagulation and filtration plant. A comparison of the conventional and magnetite treatment systems is made, which shows that the magnetite process is viable as an alternative water treatment technique.