DETERMINATION OF HYDRAULIC GRAIN SIZE OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL SORBENTS FOR SIMULATION OF SETTLE FACILITY

In the conditions of progressive contamination of surface sources of water supply and inefficient wastewater treatment when using existing water treatment technologies, the research problem and the justification of the use of sorption materials for the retention of specific pollutants, in particular heavy metal ions and radionuclides, is urgent. The parameters that determine the efficiency of sorbents are indicators of their sedimentation rate. The purpose of the experiments was to determine the sedimentation rate indicators for bentonite and copper ferrocyanide, build sorbent sedimentation graphs, and establish the estimated sedimentation rate of sorbents in the sedimentation tank based on the studied data considering temperature regime. Deposition of the sorbent in settling tanks occurs with the non-stop movement of water at a low speed in the direction from the inlet to the outlet. The experiments are aimed at substantiating the efficiency and criteria of a universal facility, which is able to work equally effectively with sorbents in different aggregate states. The process of sorbent sedimentation in water is characterized by the kinetics of sorbent flakes conglomerates sedimentation. These processes are displayed in the form of deposition kinetics graphs. The experiment used powdered bentonite and a solution of copper ferrocyanide, consisting of yellow blood salt and copper sulphate in a given proportional ratio. In the course of the study the following parameters were determined: the hydraulic grain size of bentonite powdery clay, the dependence of the sedimentation rate on the temperature regime. The liquid layer was divided into layers that show changes in the amount of suspended substances depending on the depth, which made it possible to determine the dimensions of the settling tank, the height of the liquid overflow, which, in turn, made it possible to conduct simulation experiments on virtual machines with a full-scale clarifier-absorber in accordance to geometric parameters.