Coagulation performance and floc properties of Microcystis aeruginosa in the presence of humic acid

Coagulation removal of algae in raw water could be significantly affected by humic acid (HA). A series of jar-tests were conducted to investigate the coagulation performance with polyaluminum chloride and floc properties of Microcystis aeruginosa, a unicellular cyanobacteria, in the presence of HA. Meanwhile the coagulation mechanism was explored through the measurement of zeta potential of the supernatant. The results showed that an optimal removal efficiency of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) was obtained at pH 8.0 with a low concentration of HA (2 mg/L) and at pH 6.0 with a high concentration of HA (8 mg/L). The floc structure was more compact and bigger-sized and the calculated fractal dimension (D-f) was larger at maximum coagulation efficiency. The variation of Df was consistent with that of Chl-a removal efficiency under the same coagulation conditions. Charge neutralization was inferred to be the dominant mechanism to remove algal cells with low concentration of HA, while charge neutralization, gathering and the bridging process worked together to remove algal cells with a high concentration of HA. These results provide insight on how to achieve an optimal removal efficiency of algae in the presence of different concentrations of HA in water treatment.