Enhanced coagulation for algae removal through the control of zeta potential with diatomite

Advanced technology for more efficient treatment of algae-containing water is always needed. The feasibility of using diatomite for advanced treatment of algae-containing surface water and controlling algae removal process through zeta potential was investigated in this study. Results demonstrated that the addition of diatomite is advantageous due to reduction of the polyaluminium chloride (PAC) dose required for satisfactory treatment of Microcystis aeruginosa (MA) and zeta potential which can well reflect the MA removal efficiency. The zeta potential at optimum removal was measured and it was observed that when the zeta potential was reduced to the range of −14.4 mV and +3.53 mV, removal of MA and associated organic material was optimized. Process control using zeta potential is therefore a viable tool for algae removal by enhanced coagulation combining PAC with diatomite.