Industrial water treatment involves treating river, lake, ocean or well water to prepare it for use in a manufacturing process. Steel, pulp & paper, utilities, refining, petrochemical and mining industries have large demands for water, and each industry has its unique water treatment requirements. The treatment needed to prepare the water for use could be as simple as filtration for one pass through cooling water or could involve chemical softening boiler water makeup. The treatment of industrial water, depending on the specific application, may involve the use of various coagulants/flocculants to remove impurities from the water by coagulation, precipitation, sedimentation, filtration, oxidation, etc.

• Turbidity removal
• Metals removal
• Bacteria removal
• Color removal
• TOC removal
• Enhanced cold water performance
• Chemical softening
• Sludge reduction
• Filter run lengthening
• Deposit control
• Lower overall treatment cost
• Improve operational consistency

Click above to learn more about the specific products that are used in industrial water treatment applications.

Industrial Water Treatment:
Turbidity Removal

Turbidity includes a number of contaminants present in surface water. It is a general measure of the amount of solids present. It is important to remove turbidity because bacteria such as E. coli and microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium are measured as part of the turbidity. In recent years, the Federal standards for turbidity in finished water have become much tighter. In addition, adherence to other new regulations may simultaneously interfere with optimal turbidity removal practices.

The operational flexibility of coagulants to remove more turbidity under a wider range of operating conditions has become critical for most water treatment plants. Improper selection of the coagulant for a given set of operating parameters can result in inefficient use of the plant's resources and make meeting compliance a daily struggle. An industry's process water requirements may call for a high quality stream that is not obtainable without pretreatment using coagulants. The high particle or organic content in an untreated stream may adversely impact the plant's production process or finished product quality.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen has a number of coagulants that offer water treatment plant operators greater flexibility and performance. By operating over a wider pH range, removing more organic material, and more thoroughly removing turbidity-causing particles, these coagulants have been proven particularly effective at easing the burden of meeting compliance at a reasonable cost. Gulbrandsen's products have also proven to be effective at removing colloidal and ultra colloidal particulate matter. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist in turbidity removal are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Bacteria Removal
Bacteria in water are usually present as suspended matter and impart turbidity to the water. They are also negatively charged and will be removed by the same mechanisms involved in removing turbidity. However, the particle size of bacteria is very small, and they are not effectively removed by traditional coagulants, such as alum or ferric sulfate.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen has several polyaluminum coagulants that more effectively remove bacteria. These products have a higher charge and more effective coagulation mechanism. They have been proven to remove a greater percentage of particles and to also remove particles in the size range of bacteria. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist in bacteria removal are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Color Removal
Color in water results from various natural sources of organic material. Removal by coagulation is very specific to the type of organic constituent in the water, and what coagulant is used.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen has several products that work well in removing color from water. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist in color removal are:

Aluminum Chloride Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
TOC Removal
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in water comes from natural sources resulting from the decaying of leaves or other vegetation. In this case the TOC may also cause a color in the water. TOC can also come from chemicals in the water resulting from industrial wastewater or agriculture runoff.

Most of the TOC present in water is soluble and very difficult to remove. This is made more difficult when the water source is treated with an oxidizing chemical prior to treatment. The oxidizing chemicals react with the TOC, producing chemicals which are even harder to remove.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen has several products that work well in removing TOC, especially the soluble form. In one case they work by absorbing the TOC in a large voluminous floc. In another the anionic charge of the TOC allows the material to be selectively precipitated with an inorganic aluminum polyelectrolyte. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist in TOC removal are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Cold Water Performance
All water plant operators in Northern climates know it is much easier to clarify water that has a temperature of 60°F verses 33°F. The reaction kinetics are much slower in cold water, causing floc to need a longer mixing time to form. And, water is denser at lower temperatures, making it more difficult for solids to settle. Typically, since mixing time in a water treatment plant is fixed, higher relative doses are required when clarifying cold waters with conventional coagulants like aluminum sulfate or ferric sulfate. The higher doses directly result in a host of increased costs; coagulant, pH adjustment chemical, and sludge removal (more sludge is formed due to higher coagulant input) costs are all increased.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers polyaluminum coagulants that retain their effectiveness as water temperatures drop. In other words, the benefits of these products versus traditional coagulants is even greater in cold water. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you during difficult winter conditions are:

Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Chemical Softening
Many natural or well waters are hard; they contain high levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These waters need to be chemically softened to reduce the calcium levels. Chemical softening involves raising the pH of the water to above 9.5, at which point these minerals become insoluble and will precipitate. Lime is often the chemical of choice for raising the pH. However, the use of lime leaves a high solid content in the water, which may create the necessity to employ a coagulant to assist in sedimentation. Not all coagulants will function effectively in this pH range however, so it is important to select one that has good functionality under such conditions.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen has several coagulants that will work well in chemical softening processes. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist in chemical softening are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Sludge Reduction
The removal of solids in a water treatment operation will obviously produce a solid phase which must be handled and disposed of. It is important to note two things: first, the amount of solids produced depends not only on the amount of solids removed from the water, but also the amount of chemicals (coagulants and flocculants) added to the treatment process to assist in the separation. Second, the coagulants and flocculants added greatly influence the dewatering characteristics of the sludge. In very general terms, the higher the chemical content of the sludge, the harder it is to dewater.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers a range of poly-aluminum chemicals that coagulate suspended solids and turbidity at significantly lower dosages than conventional inorganic coagulants such as aluminum sulfate. This lower dosage translates to less, easier-to-dewater sludge. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you in sludge reduction are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Filter Run Lengthening
When clarifying waters with inorganic chemicals, a certain amount of solids will be present in the clarified water. These solids may need to be removed, depending upon the end use of the water. In municipal (potable) water treatment and some industrial water treatment applications, these carryover solids are removed by filtration.

Different coagulants, used in the clarification process, will generate different types of carryover solids. Some of these solids are hard to filter and will shorten the time between filter backwash cycles.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers a range of polyaluminum chemicals that coagulate turbidity, color and other suspended solids, producing a floc that is easy to filter. In some cases the treated water can pass directly to the filters, eliminating the need for clarifiers. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you in filtration are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Deposit Control
Deposits in water distribution systems or cooling water systems are a major source of problems for both municipalities and industrial operations. These deposits are generally the result of poor clarification and/or filtration.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen has several products that work well in clarifying and filtering turbidity, color, bacterial and other suspended solids. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist in turbidity removal are:

Aluminum Chloride Solution
Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Lower Treatment Costs
When evaluating the cost of a chemical for treating water and wastewater, considering the price per pound of the chemical can be very misleading. The products used in the coagulation process have an impact on the operating efficiency of the entire treatment process: clarification, filtration, disinfection and sludge dewatering. In other words, you are not so much paying for the chemical as you are the effect it has on your entire treatment process. Therefore, it is most important to be sure and include all related factors. A product may work well in one portion of the process but cause problems in another. As an example, a coagulant may work well to clarify water but generate a sludge that is difficult (expensive) to dewater.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers a range of polyaluminum coagulants that are strongly cationic and prehydrolyzed, making them more reactive and therefore effective at lower dosages than conventional coagulants. Lower dosages relate directly to reductions in sludge volume. Additionally, the solids generated when using these polyaluminum coagulants are easier to filter and dewater. So, while the unit price of these products may be higher than a conventional coagulant, when all factors are considered (all related chemical costs, filter runs, sludge dewatering and/or disposal) they represent a good value to most treatment facilities. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you in filtration are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution

Industrial Water Treatment:
Improved Operational Consistency
When looking at the use of chemicals for treating water and wastewater one must look at the entire system. This includes clarification, filtration, disinfection and sludge dewatering. The products used in the coagulation process have an impact on the operating efficiency of subsequent treatment processes. A product may work well in one process but cause major problems in another. As an example you may find a product works well to clarify water but it generates a sludge that is very difficult to dewater.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers a range of polyaluminum chemicals that are strongly cationic and prehydrolyzed, making them more reactive at lower dosages than conventional coagulants. Lower dosages generally means less solids carryover and less sludge generated. The solids generated when using these polyaluminum chemicals are less voluminous and easier to filter and dewater. These product attributes translate into a more constant and uniform operation with all interrelated processes. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you in filtration are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution