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This experiment explored the impact of influent water saturated with air on floc blanket formation and effluent turbidity. This experiment involved collaboration with the Floating Floc/Floc Blanket Research Research Team, who supplied the saturated water that served as the influent water to the process.

Abstract
Our team ran an experiment to investigate the affects of saturated air on floc blanket formation. To do this, our team paired with the Floating Floc/ Floc Blanket Research research team, who supplied water saturated with air to the process. This experiment is meant to model the effects of having a pressurized system and the affects that change in pressure could have on floc blanket formation due to gas escaping from the influent water as bubbles. The idea for this experiment is derived from the need to model the affects of altitude change on an actual AguaClara treatment plant. For example, if a pipe were to pass into an area of decreased altitude pressure in the closed tube would increase. If air bubbles existed within the tube, this air would get absorbed into the water in the system. As the pipes pass through an increase in altitude, pressure is alleviated and bubbles should escape.

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In order to deliver influent saturated air to the process, the Floating Floc/ Floc Blanket Research team created a system which pressurized the influent water to a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. At this pressure, the amount of air absorbed into the water is twice the amount of air absorbed in the water at atmospheric pressure. This water saturated with air was fed to the apparatus as influent water, where it immediately experienced a pressure drop to atmospheric pressure. While a pressure drop should result in the immediate formation of escaping air bubbles in the liquid, these did not form immediately. This is due to the activation energy required for the bubble to form, which is dependent on the surface tension of the bubble. In order to test bubble formation we observed the experiment qualitatively, looking for bubbles throughout the apparatus. We also monitored effluent turbidity, a value that would reflect the effect of the bubbles on floc blanket formation and particle settling.

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