H+E FLOTTOPAC - Air Flotation Unit for Purifying Wastewater

The FLOTTOPAC is based on the principle of induced air flotation, a process that is traditionally used for the separation of finely dispersed solids or fats and oils from water. As well as that, the separation and thickening of biomass is becoming increasingly important. Compared to alternative separation processes such as sedimentation and filtration, the flotation process has various benefits. It has three main important advantages over sedimentation; first of all, a significantly lower system size and thus a saving on construction costs and footprint; second, the lower water content of the separated sludge; and third, a greater tolerance to fluctuations of the inlet stream. If the density of the material to be separated is less than or similar to that of water (for example, oil, grease and algae), the option of sedimentation is no longer an alternative. The process of filtration is only applied with low concentrations and is therefore more likely to be used as a complement to the flotation process.

Therefore, the FLOTTOPAC stage is often a crucial step within a water treatment plant. Proven applications of FLOTTOPAC include:

• the separation of oils and fats and fine solids in a pretreatment
• the separation and thickening of bio sludge
• the post-treatment of water from a biological stage