Experimental investigation of the inhibition of deep-sea mining sediment plumes by polyaluminum chloride

Deep-sea sediment disturbance may occur when collecting polymetallic nodules,resulting in the creation of plumes that could have a negative impact on the ecological environment.This study aims to investigate the potential solution of using polyaluminum chloride(PAC)in the water jet.The effects of PAC are examined through a self-designed simulation system for deep-sea polymetallic nodule collection and sediment samples from a potential deep-sea mining area.The experimental results showed that the optimal PAC dose was found to be 0.75 g/L.Compared with the test conditions without the addition of PAC,the presence of PAC leads to a reduction in volume,lower characteristic turbidity,smaller diffusion velocity,and shorter settling time of the plume.This indicates that PAC inhibits the entire development process of the plume.The addition of PAC leads to the flocculation of mm-sized particles,resulting in the formation of cm-sized flocs.The flocculation of particles decreases the rate of erosion on the seabed by around 30%.This reduction in erosion helps to decrease the formation of plumes.Additionally,when the size of suspended particles increases,it reduces the scale at which they diffuse.Furthermore,the settling velocity of flocs(around 10^(-2) m/s)is much higher that of compared to sediment particles(around 10^(-5) m/s),which effectively reduces the amount of time the plume remains in suspension.

Influence of Polyaluminum Chloride Residue on the Strength andMicrostructure of Cement-Based Materials

In this paper,cement and dechlorinated Polyaluminum Chloride Residue(PACR)have been used to prepare a net slurry and mortar specimens.Two hydration activity indicators have been used to quantitatively analyze the dechlorinated PACR hydration activity.In particular,the effect of dechlorinated PACR content on the compressive strength of mortar has been assessed by means of compressive strength tests.Moreover,X-ray diffraction(XRD)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)have been employed to observe the microstructure of the considered hydration products.The following results have been obtained.The 28th day activity index of the dechlorinated PACR is 75%,and therefore it meets the criterion for the use of active admixture.The increase in the content of the dechlorinated PACR tends to reduce the compressive strength of mortar specimens,however,it is beneficial to its later strength growth.When the content is not greater than 10%,the strength remains unchanged,otherwise,it decreases.The PACR does not form a new crystalline phase in the cement slurry,and the dechlorinated PACR remains active until the age of the 28th day.The inclusion of the PACR mainly deteriorates the early strength of the cement slurry,but it promotes the production of hydration products in the cement slurry after the 7th day.

Features and mechanism for coagulation－flocculation processes of polyaluminum chloride

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Coagulation behavior of polyaluminum chloride: Effects of pH and coagulant dosage

Coagulation mechanisms of polyaluminum chloride(PACl) at various dosages were studied using a conventional jar test at different final and initial pH values during treating kaolin suspension. The optimal final pH and dosages for PACl were obtained based on residual turbidity and zeta potential of flocs. The coagulation zones at various PACl dosages and solution p H values were developed and compared with those of alum. It is found that the optimal mechanism under acidic condition is charge neutralization, while alkaline condition will facilitate the coagulation of PACl. Both charge neutralization coagulation and sweep coagulation can achieve high coagulation efficiency under the alkaline condition ranging from final p H 7.0 to 10.0. Stabilization, charge neutralization destabilization, restabilization and sweep zones occur successively with increasing PACl dosages with the final p H values fixed at 7.0 and 8.0, but restabilization zone disappears at final p H 10.0. When the final p H is not controlled and consequently decreases with increasing PACl dosage, no typical sweep zone can be observed and the coagulant efficiency decreases at high PACl dosage. It seems that the final pH is more meaningful than the initial p H for coagulation. Charge neutralization coagulation efficiency is dominated by zeta potential of flocs and PACl precipitates. The charge neutralization and sweep coagulation zones of PACl are broader in the ranges of coagulant dosage and p H than those of alum. The results are helpful for us to treat water and wastewater using PACl and to understand the coagulation process of PACl.

Preparation and characterization of organic polymer modified composite polyaluminum chloride

Compared with traditional aluminum salts, polyaluminum chloride （PACI） has better coagulation-flocculation performance in turbidity removal. However, it is still inferior to organic polymers in terms of bridging function. In order to improve the aggregating property of PACl, different composite PACl flocculants were prepared with various organic polymers. The effect of organic polymer on the distribution or Al（Ⅲ） species in composite flocculants was studied using ^27TAl NMR and Al-ferron complexation methods. The charge neutralization and surface adsorption characteristics of composite flocculants were also investigated. Jar tests were conducted to evaluate the turbidity removal efficacy of organic polymer modified composite flocculants. The study shows that cationic polymer and anionic polymer have significant influences on the coagulation-flocculation behaviors of PACl. Both cationic and anionic polymers can improve the turbidity removal performancc of PACl but the mechanisms arc much different： cationic organic polymer mainly increases the charge neutralization ability, but anionic polymer mainly enhances the bridging function.

Effects of Slow-Mixing on the Coagulation Performance of Polyaluminum Chloride （PACI）

Conventional jar tests and on-line size monitoring were used to investigate the effects of slow-mixing intensity and duration on residual turbidity and floc size during charge neutralization coagulation and sweep floc- culation with polyaluminum chloride. The compensatory effect of slow-mixing on coagulation performance fol- low!ng inadequate_or excessive rapid-mi_xing was also examined. It is found that slowTmixing intensity has a more marked positive ettect on charge neutralization coas;ulatlon tlaan on sweep tlocculatlon. llle optimal root-mean- square velocity gradient, G, for slow-mixing is 15 s-＇ for both coagulation mechanisms, and charge neutralization coagulation requires a longer slow-mixing duration. The optimal slow-mixing duration, based on residual turbidity,is longer than the time to tbrm the largest mean Ilocs. The optimal product of G and mixing duration, GT, lbr slow-mixing during charge neutralization coagulation （13500） are higher than that during sweep flocculation （4500） and both are less than the range of values recommended by the American Water Works Association （24000-84000）.The optimal GT value under various slow-mixing conditions increases with G. Appropriate extension＇of slow-mixing duration during charge neutralization coagulation can improve coagulation performance after an inadequate or excessive rapid-mixing duration, but during sweep flocculation, appropriate shortening of slow-mixing duration after an excessive rapid-mixing or appropriate extension of slow-mixing duration after an inadequate rapid-mixing is favorable.

Preparation of High Concentration Polyaluminum Chloride with High Al_c Content by Membrane Distillation

A direct contact membrane distillation（DCMD）process was applied to prepare high concentration polyaluminum chloride（PACl）with high Alc content.The changes in total Al concentration（AlT）and Al species distribution were investigated.The results showed that AlT increased but the flux decreased with operating time during the DCMD process.The Alc content increased from 65%to 81%while the Alb content decreased from 34% to 18%,and the Ala content was almost 1%in the process.2.1 mol·L 1PACl with 81%Alc was successfully prepared by DCMD method.Thus the DCMD is an effective method for preparing high concentration PACl with high Alc content.

Preparation of high concentration polyaluminum chloride with high content of Al_b or Al_c

A novel membrane distillation concentration method was used m prepare high concentration polyaluminum chloride （PAC1） with high content of AID or Ale. 2.52 mol/L PACl1 with 88% Alb and 2.38 mol/L PACl2 with 61% Ale were successfully prepared. Three coagulants, AlCl3, PACl1 and PACl2 were investigated on their hydrolysis behavior and speciation under different conditions. The effects of pH and dilution ratio on Al species distribution were investigated by ferron assay. Experimental result showed that pH had a significant effect on Al species distribution for the three coagulants. Dilution ratio had little effects on Alb and Alc distribution in whole dilution process except the beginning for PACl1 and PACl2. The results indicated that transformation of Al depends largely on their original composition. AlCl3 was the most unstable coagulant among these three coagulants during hydrolysis process. PACl1 and PACl2 with significant amounts of highly charged and stable polynuclear aluminum hydrolysis products were less affected by the hydrolysis conditions and could maintain high speciation stability under various conditions.

Preparation and Characterization of γ-Al2O3 by Polyaluminum Chloride with High Al13 Content

In this paper a polyaluminum chloride solution with high Al13 content was prepared and used as raw material for preparation ofγ-Al2O3.The texture and crystalline phase of the prepared alumina samples were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX) ,X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscope(TEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) analyses.The effects of alkaline solution and calcination temperature were investigated.The results showed that alkaline solution including NH3·H2O and NaOH had little effect on the alumina sample formation.The impurities of NH4Cl and NaCl in solution can be removed through repeated washing by EDX analysis.Calcination temperature had a significant effect on alumina crystal phase.The alumina sample can transform completely toγ-Al2O3 in the subsequent heating from 600°C to 800°C.It is very interesting that Al13 can be existed inγ-Al2O3 phase even after calcinations.The results indicate that polyaluminum chloride with high Al13 content is an effective material to prepareγ-Al2O3.

Effect of Polyethylene Glycol on the Properties of γ-Al_2O_3 Formation by Polyaluminum Chloride

A polyaluminium chloride solution with high Al 13 content self-prepared was used as material for preparing the spherical γ-Al 2 O 3 by the sol-gel and oil-drop method. Polyethylene glycol with different molecular mass was used as surfactant to investigate the effect on property of γ-Al 2 O 3 . The physical property was characterized by 27 Al NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and TG-DTA (thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis). The results showed that surface area, pore volume and pore size of γ-Al 2 O 3 all increased with the increase of polyethylene glycol molecular mass in the experimental research range, and polyethylene glycol 10000 was the most suitable pore forming additive. γ-Al 2 O 3 with surface area of 339 m 2 ·g 1 , pore volume of 0.59 cm 3 ·g 1 and pore diameter of 6.9 nm were obtained at 450 °C.

A novel method to synthesize polyaluminum chloride with a membrane reactor

Al 13 or Alb is usually regarded as the most efficient species of polyaluminum chloride(PAC), the performance flocculant for water treatment. This paper was intended to report a new method to synthesize PAC with high content Al b, by using the membrane reactor. NaOH solutions were managed to permeate slowly through the micropores of ultrafiltration membrane into AlCl 3 solutions under the suitable transmembrane pressure(TMP). Meanwhile NaOH drops size was limited to nano scale, resulting in dramatical reduction of the characteristic diffusion time and great increment of contact interface between the strong base and Al ions in solution to favor the formation of Al(OH) - 4, the precursor of Al 13 , so few precipitates and much Al b are produced. When the initial concentration of AlCl 3/NaOH is 0 40/2 0 (mol/L), MWCO =10000, TMP =0 0085 MPa, T =305 K and B (molar ratio of OH -/Al 3+ )=2 25, the quantity of Al b attains about 80%. The results of 27 Al NMR determination showed that the Al 13 content is equal to Al b content. And our PAC product has shown better flocculation effects than the commercial product.

Preparation of high concentration polyaluminum chloride by chemical synthesis-membrane distillation method with self-made hollow fiber membrane

A method of direct contact membrane distillation （DCMD） with a self-made hollow polyvinylidene fluoride membrane was applied to prepare high concentration polyaluminum chloride （PACl） with high Alb content based on chemical synthesis. The permeate flux and Al species distribution were investigated. The experimental results showed that the permeate flux decreased from 14 to 6 kg/（m2·hr） at the end of the DCMD process, which can be mainly attributed to the formation of NaCl deposits on the membrane surface. The Alb content decreased slightly, only from 86.3% to 84.4%, when the DCMD experiment finished, correspondingly the Alc content increased slightly from 7.2% to 8.5%, and the Ala content remained at 7% during the whole DCMD process. A PACl with Alb content of 84% at total aluminum concentration 2.2 mol/L was successfully prepared by the chemical synthesis-DCMD method.

Hydrolysis of polyaluminum chloride prior to coagulation:Effects on coagulation behavior and implications for improving coagulation performance

The effects of polyaluminum chloride（PACl） hydrolysis prior to coagulation on both the coagulation zone and coagulation performance of a kaolin suspension were investigated by a novel jar test named the ＂reversed coagulation test＂.The tests showed that PACl hydrolysis prior to coagulation decreased the performance of charge neutralization coagulation in the case of short-time slow mixing（10 min;G = 15 sec-1） and increased the optimal dosage for charge neutralization and sweep coagulation.Moreover,the hydrolysis time had insignificant effects on the size and zeta potential of PACl precipitates and the residual turbidity of the raw water.However,PACl hydrolysis prior to coagulation and the size of PACl precipitates had a negligible effect on the performance of sweep coagulation.The results imply that,in practice,preparing a PACl solution with deionized water,rather than tap water or the outlet water from a wastewater treatment unit,can significantly save PACl consumption and improve the performance of charge neutralization coagulation,while preparing the PACl solution with tap or outlet water would not affect the performance of sweep coagulation.In addition,the optimal rapid mixing intensity appears to be determined by a balance between the degree of coagulant hydrolysis before contacting the primary particles and the average size of flocs in the rapid mixing period.These results provide new insights into the role of PACl hydrolysis and will be useful for improving coagulation efficiency.

Synthesis of polyaluminum chloride with a membrane reactor:Process characteristics and membrane fouling

Polyaluminum chloride was synthesized with a membrane reactor,in which NaOH was added into AlCl 3 solution through the membrane’s micropores to reduce the NaOH droplets size.The content of the most efficient species increased to about 80%.The process characteristics in the reaction （i.e.,flow velocity,pressure drop）,and membrane fouling and cleaning were investigated.The evolution of both flow velocity and pressure drop during the reaction were related to changes in species distribution and solution viscosity.The process characteristics were well interpreted in terms of the Bernoulli equation.After reaction,the membranes were recovered by cleaning with diluted hydrochloride acid.This study is crucial for process design and scale-up of membrane reactors.

Electrokinetic characteristic and coagulation behavior of flocculant polyaluminum silicate chloride (PASiC)

The electrokinetic characteristics and coagulation behaviors of polyaluminum silicate chloride (PASiC) and polyaluminum chloride (PAC) were studied and compared by streaming current (SC) measurement and jar test method. The experimental results showed that the interaction between polysilicic acid characterized negative charge and hydrolyzed aluminum species result in a decrease of the charge neutralizing ability of PASiC, compared to PAC. The decrease has a close relationship with the basicity ( B ) and Al/Si molar ratio in PASiC. The less the B value and the Al/Si molar ratio, the lower the charge neutralizing ability of PASiC is. In contrast, the preparation technique for PASiC affects the charge-neutralization of PASiC to a smaller extent. In addition, compared with PAC, PASiC may enhance aggregating efficiency and give better coagulating effects.

Synergistic coagulation of bauxite residue-based polyaluminum ferric chloride for dyeing wastewater treatment

Considering that Fe,Al elements in bauxite residue are active components for water purification,an effective polyaluminum ferric chloride(PAFC)coagulant derived from bauxite residue,with Fe2O3 content>5.1%,Al2O3%>6.5%,basicity>65%,was successfully prepared.The effect of as-prepared PAFC on the zeta potential for printing and dyeing wastewater was investigated.Comparing with polyferric chloride(PFC)and polyferric sulfate(PFS)for printing and dyeing wastewater treatment,prepared bauxite residue-based PAFC exhibited the optimal performance in the aspects of chromaticity and chemical oxygen demand(COD)removal rate.Furthermore,the combination of bauxite residue-based PAFC and PFS for synergy coagulation of such wastewater demonstrated an obvious positive effect.With the proportion between as-prepared PAFC and PFS to be 2.5:1,the COD of treated wastewater could be further reduced to meet the national level A standard of China,providing a promising route to solve the problem of substandard printing and dyeing sewage outfall by a simple coagulation strategy.

Application of polymeric aluminum salts in remediation of soil contaminated by Pb,Cd,Cu,and Zn

Soil contaminated with typical heavy metals (Pb,Cd,Cu,and Zn) was remedied by using the polymeric aluminum salt coagulants including polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and polyaluminum sulfate (PAS).The remediation efficiencies are influenced by reaction time,water amount,and dosage of remediation agent.The optimal remediation conditions are as follows:6 h of reaction time,1 kg/kg of water addition amount,and 0.25 kg/kg of remediation agent dosage.After PAC addition,the remediation efficiencies of diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Pb,Cd,Cu,and Zn reach 88.3%,85.1%,85.4%,and 73.7%,respectively;and those for PAS are 89.7%,88.7%,83.5%,and 72.6%,respectively.The main remediation mechanism of the polymeric aluminum salt may contribute to the ionization and hydrolysis of PAC and PAS.H + released from ionization of polymeric aluminum salt can cause the leaching of heavy metals,while the multinuclear complex produced from hydrolysis may result in the immobilization of heavy metals.For PAC,the immobilization of heavy metals is the main remediation process.For PAS,both leaching and immobilization are involved in the remediation process of heavy metals.

Treatment of backwater in bauxite flotation plant and optimization by using Box-Behnken design

Flotation indexes gradually decrease with the increase of cycle time of the backwater in bauxite floatation,and discharge of backwater brings environmental risk.In this study,methods such as Fenton-oxidation,adsorption and coagulation were used in the treatment of backwater,the flotation indexes were checked after backwater treatments,and Box-Behnken design(BBD)was used in the optimization of the main operating parameters.The results reveal that flotation indexes are effectively improved after coagulation treatment by polyaluminum ferric chloride(PAFC).The optimum parameters predicted by BBD are pH 7.55,1.09 g/L PAFC dosage and temperature of 25℃.Under these optimum conditions,a maximum recovery of Al2O3 of 82.83%and a minimum A/S of 1.30 of tailings are gained,while the deviations are less than 3%from the predicted values.These findings encourage the application of BBD for the optimization of critical parameters in backwater treatment.

Advanced lignin-acrylamide water treatment agent by pulp and paper industrial sludge: Synthesis, properties and application

A novel flocculant LA （lignin-acrylamide polymer）, which was used as aid for aluminum sulfate and polyaluminum chloride in this study, was prepared by grafting acrylamide onto lignin that deriving from pulp and papermaking sludge. Physicochemical properties of LA were measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The experimental outcome indicated acrylamide was grafted onto the lignin backbone successfully. The effects of LA addition were evaluated on coagulation performance and floc characteristics as a function of aluminum （Al） dosage, such as floc size, growth rate, strength and recoverability. Effects of different dosing sequences, Al dosed first and LA dosed first, were also investigated. LA used as coagulant aid markedly enhanced the removal efficiency of turbidity and dissolved organic carbon, especially at low Al dosages. The dissolved organic carbon removal efficiencies of aluminum sulfate and polyaluminum chloride at the Al dosage range selected in this study were improved more than 30% and 5% by LA, respectively. LA dramatically enlarged floc size and it was in the order： Al dosed first 〉 LA dosed first 〉 Al. Floc strength and recoverability were also improved by LA. LA played a significant role in charge neutralization, adsorption and bridging in floc formation.

Deposition behavior of residual aluminum in drinking water distribution system：Effect of aluminum speciation

Finished drinking water usually contains some residual aluminum.The deposition of residual aluminum in distribution systems and potential release back to the drinking water could significantly influence the water quality at consumer taps.A preliminary analysis of aluminum content in cast iron pipe corrosion scales and loose deposits demonstrated that aluminum deposition on distribution pipe surfaces could be excessive for water treated by aluminum coagulants including polyaluminum chloride（PACl）.In this work,the deposition features of different aluminum species in PACl were investigated by simulated coil-pipe test,batch reactor test and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring.The deposition amount of non-polymeric aluminum species was the least,and its deposition layer was soft and hydrated,which indicated the possible formation of amorphous Al（OH）3.Al（13） had the highest deposition tendency,and the deposition layer was rigid and much less hydrated,which indicated that the deposited aluminum might possess regular structure and self-aggregation of Al（13）could be the main deposition mechanism.While for Al（30）,its deposition was relatively slower and deposited aluminum amount was relatively less compared with Al（13）.However,the total deposited mass of Al（30） was much higher than that of Al（13）,which was attributed to the deposition of particulate aluminum matters with much higher hydration state.Compared with stationary condition,stirring could significantly enhance the deposition process,while the effect of pH on deposition was relatively weak in the near neutral range of 6.7 to 8.7.