Currently, effluents generated by industry represent the major contributor to water pollution problems. This is probably due to the fact that the industry consumes a huge amount of water and simultaneously produces a huge volume of highly polluted wastewater. Coagulation-flocculation technique is one of the physical-chemical techniques widely employed to treat industrial wastewater. While implementing this method, the major concern is how to make the process more efficient in terms of economics and residual water quality and at the same time improve the produced sludge (in terms of quantity and characteristics) so that it can be easily treated or disposed off later. Floc characteristics are important in deter-mining the efficiency of industrial wastewater treatment. This study on low-cost ceramic materials (e.g. bentonite) as coagulation aids suggests a promising alternative to the expensive polymeric coagulant aids for industrial wastewater treatment. |
