CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT ENGINEERING

CCB 4233
LABORATORY PROJECT 2

Course Description
The laboratory project is an alternative method in the mode of learning. In this document the projects
assigned for each group is described. Students are encouraged to use all resources available to ensure
complete understanding on thee projects assigned. Below are the schedule and venue of the laboratory,
the objectives of the laboratory project, the expected outputs for submission and the laboratory safety
aspects.

Schedule and Venue

Date: Monday 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm
Venue: 05-00-006 (Water / Wastewater Laboratory)

Objective of Laboratory Project

1.
To ensure students have hands-on training on at least one analysis method.
2.
To ensure students are able to interpret, analyse, evaluate and give relevant recommendations
for their projects.
3.
To encourage students to share the knowledge gained from the doing the laboratory analysis for
others by doing a presentation.
4.
To encourage students to ask questions to the presenter in order to enhance their knowledge.

Laboratory Project Output

1.
A written report. The report should include:
a. Introduction
b. Literature review
c. Methodology
d. Results and discussion
e. Conclusion and recommendation
2.
A presentation. The presentation should also include the points as the report. Kindly pass the soft
copy of the presentation to the lecturer so that the file can be uploaded to the e-learning.

Laboratory Safety
1.
NO food and drink.

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CCB4233
Laboratory Project

2.
3.

4.
5.

6.

NO sandals or open-toe or heels shoes.

Hygiene: at times you will work with sewage. Be aware that handling your pens, calculator, packs,
etc. with contaminated gloves will contaminate those items. Putting pens in your mouth that may
have been on the bench or handled with gloves could be hazardous.
Spills: Wipe up all spills immediately, wash down and dry the bench. Please ask for assistance if
chemicals are spilled.
Broken Glass: Be careful not to break glass, but if you do ask for assistance. DO NOT PUT BROKEN
GLASS INTO THE REGULAR GARBAGE CONTAINER. If you cut yourself, o matter how minor, please
get help.
Clean-up: You must leave your workstation as you found it clean and dry. All glassware must be
rinsed well (at least 5 times with tap water) and put on paper towels at your station or on drying
racks. Remember to empty and rinse burettes as well.

Industrial Effluent Engineering

CCB4233
Laboratory Project

LABORATORY PROJECT ASSIGNMENT: COAGULATION AND FLOCCULATION

Objective:
To illustrate the principles of coagulation and water softening.
Materials:
1. Jar test apparatus
2. 6 x 1000 mL beakers
3. 1 g/L Alum solution (Al2(SO4)3.18H2O)
4. 1.0 N Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
5. 1.0 N H2SO4
6. Magnetic stirrer plus magnetic stirring bars (to mix coagulant solution)
7. Spectrophotometer
8. pH meter
Samples:
Lake water within the vicinity of the university.
Experiment A: Determination of Optimum Coagulant Dosage
1. Prepare the coagulant.
2. Filter the sample to remove suspended solids.
3. Analyse test water for pH and turbidity
4. Measure exactly 1 liter of water into each jar test reactor. Prepare the portions of
the aluminium or ferric sulfate solution that will give coagulant dose of 0, 10, 20, 30,
40, and 50 mg/L.
5. Mix at 50 rpm to ensure water is completely mixed.
6. Measure chemical volumes to achieve desired dose in each reactor.
7. Increase mixing speed to 250 rpm. Add the chemicals to each reactor near the
vortex. All reactors should be dosed at the same time.
8. Rapid mix for 1 min at 250 rpm. Reduce mixing to 60 rpm for 9 min. Reduce mixing
to 25 rpm for 4 min. Reduce mixing to 10 rpm for 2 min. This can be programmed
into the jar tester. Observe the reactors to detect the formation of flocs and note
the time of floc appearance.
9. Turn off mixers and record relative floc size (pin-point, small, medium, large).
10. Allow particles to settle for 20 min (remove the paddles during quiescent settling).
Take note on the clarity of supernatant liquid (very clear, clear, hazy, cloudy) and
settling characteristics of the floc (rapid, moderate, slow).
11. Measure the turbidity and pH of the liquid in each jar by sampling at the top, taking
care not to disturb the sediment in sampling.
12. Measure the depth of sludge in the beaker.
13. Plot turbidity against alum dosage.

Industrial Effluent Engineering

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Laboratory Project

Experiment B: Determination of Optimum pH

1. Repeat the jar test using observed optimum dosage of aluminium or ferric sulfate
but adjusting the pH of sample water in each jar to 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11 with NaOH or
H2SO4 prior to adding coagulant.
2. Measure the turbidity and pH of the liquid in each jar by sampling at the top, taking
care not to disturb the sediment in sampling.
3. Measure the depth of sludge in the beaker.
4. Plot turbidity against pH.

Questions:
1. What is optimum dosage of alum and at what pH?
2. Did the pH increase or decrease during coagulation? Why?
3. Compare the production of sludge from the experiments done in A and B. Which has
more sludge generation and why?
4. What can you conclude from the experiment done on the important factors affecting
coagulation?
5. Explain why trivalent cations are important for an effective coagulation.
6. Assuming that a water plant influent is 0.044 m3/s and alum is used to remove
particulate matter, reducing the concentration of organic matter and reduce the
alkalinity of water according to the following equation:
Al2(SO4)3.14H2O + 6HCO3- 2Al(OH)3 (s) +6CO2 + 14H2O + 3SO2-4
If the organic matter concentration is reduced from 8 mg/L to 3 mg/L, determine the
total mass of alkalinity consumed and the total mass of dry solids removed per day using
the optimum dosage obtained.