Mary John's Individual Contribution Page
Summer 2012 Contributions
Over the Summer of 2012 I was on the Floc Sed Optimization Team. We were working to optimize the flocculator and sedimentation tanks efficiency and costs by varying different components including flocculator length, upflow velocity, plate settler length, alum dose and water turbidity. Our research team had enough time over the summer to thoroughly evaluate the effects of flocculator length and alum dose on the efficiency of the entire water filtration system. Our experiments tested flocculator lengths of 20m, 15m and 2m and alum doses of 60mg/L, 35mg/L and 10mg/L. By the end of our experimentation we found high pC star with lower alum doses and shorter flocculator lengths that were similar to the pC star of longer flocculator lengths and higher alum doses. We concluded that both the flocculator length and the alum dose could be decreased and the water filtration system would still be equally effective.
Fall 2012 Semester Contributions
This fall I am in CEE 2550 and will be working on the Floc Sed Optimization team again. This semester we will be experimenting with floc recycle. By recycling flocs we are hoping to improve the efficiency of the flocculator and floc blanket in the sedimentation tank. We will be varying alum dose, water turbidity, rate at which flocs are being recycled and upflow velocity to maximize the performance of the floc blanket and water quality produced from our apparatus.