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This thesis presents the synthesis and characterization of copper oxide nano photocatalyst for wastewater purification using visible light. The presented copper oxide nano material can serve as a low-cost and green technology for environmental applications. Uniform cubic, octahedral and rhombic dodecahedral Cu2O nano crystals with a size of 300-600 nm were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. The rhombic dodecahedral Cu2O nano crystals are highly active when driven by low-power white LEDs as a light source. In comparison with other reported photocatalysts, the Cu2O nano crystals in this work show a much higher reaction rate and lower electrical energy per order. The reaction rate and photoefficiency are found to be highly correlated with the irradiated photon flux. The surface termination and facet orientation of Cu2O nano particles were accurately tuned by adjusting the amount of hydroxylamine hydrochloride and surfactant. It is found that Cu2O nano particles with Cu-terminated (110) or (111) surfaces show high photocatalytic activity, while other exposed facets show poor reactivity. The density functional theory simulations confirm that the sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant can lower the surface free energy of Cu-terminated surfaces, increasing the density of exposed Cu atoms at the surfaces, and thus benefiting the photocatalytic activity. It also shows that the poor reactivity of Cu-terminated Cu2O (100) surface is due to the high energy barrier of holes at the surface region. Amorphous CuxO nano flakes with a thickness of 10 to 50 nm were prepared through the dye-assisted transformation of rhombic dodecahedral Cu2O nano crystals under facile hydrothermal condition. The amorphous CuxO nano flake consists of a combination of Cu(I) and Cu(II) with a ratio close to 1:1. It shows enhanced photocatalytic reactivity towards the degradation of methyl orange compared to rhombic dodecahedral Cu2O nano crystals with all active (110):Cu facets. The chemical composition and architecture remain the same after repeating degradation tests. The high surface-to-volume ratio contributes to its better photocatalytic performance while its low surface energy calculated by the density functional theory simulations explains its improved stability. The as-obtained photocatalysts are able to degrade a wide range of aromatic organics including toluene, chlorobenzene and nitrobenzene effectively. We also demonstrate the capability of decontaminating a wide range of aromatic organics in industrial wastewater that comes from an oil company.

M. Tech. (Chemistry, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are supposedly effective means for removal of low concentration of organic pollutants from waste water as compared to conventional treatment methods. However, TiO2 metal semiconductor is the most promising photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutant under heterogeneous photocatalysis as compared to other metal semiconductors. Challenges such as aggregation in solution, low adsorptive ability for non-polar organic contaminants and recycling are limitations in application of TiO2 for commercial purposes. The other limitations of TiO2, is it only utilizes 4-6% of the solar energy reaching the earth's surface which is in the UV region and also rapid electron-hole recombination due its wide band gap. In this work, the limitations are overcome by synthesis of a new photocatalyst material and further applied on degradation of model organic contaminants. The first part of this work focused on preparation and characterization of photocatalyst material. The photocatalyst synthesized were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (DRUV-VIS). Supporting characterization techniques revealed partly dispersion of TiO2 within the cavities of dealuminated Clinoptilolite (HCP). TiO2 exist as nanoparticles or clusters on the HCP surface ascribed to lower loading of TiO2. XRD analysis showed that the support material employed was mainly Clinoptilolite and absorption band of prepared photocatalyst was red-shifted into the visible region, with slight reduction in band gap of photocatalyst. The second part focused on adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange solution (MO) conducted under UV-irradiation in the presence of TiO2/HCP. The influence of operational parameters on degradation efficiency of photocatalyst material on MO was carried out in this study. Parameters such as initial dye concentration, pH, calcination temperature, inorganic anions and peroxide concentration were varied during degradation activities of MO. Comparative degradation efficiency of TiO2/HCP, TiO2 and HCP were conducted on dye mixture (Methyl orange and Methylene Blue) under UV irradiation. Kinetic analysis employing Langmuir-Hinshelwood model on dependencies of organic contaminants degradation was also conducted at different operational parameters. The adsorption capacity of MO was highest in the presence of TiO2/HCP at lower loading, which is ascribed to good dispersion of TiO2 on HCP and increased surface area of dealuminated Clinoptilolite. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in the presence of TiO2/HCP was optimized at low dye concentration (30 ppm), acidic condition (pH 4), and calcination temperature of 873 K. Nitrate ion of Sodium salt accelerates degradation activities on methyl orange as compared to other inorganic anions. Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange was greatly enhanced upon addition of oxidant (H2O2) and the photocatalyst possessed good repeatability after 3 cycles. TiO2/HCP exhibit highest degradation activities, followed by HCP as compared to TiO2 during the degradation of dye mixture. The degradation of MO by the photocatalyst fits into pseudo-first order kinetic model, while for comparative analysis of photocatalyst on dye mixtures follows second order kinetic model.

A contínua expansão da indústria de processamento de hidrocarbonetos e a extensa utilização de produtos relacionados com o petróleo aumentou a ameaça da poluição por esse tipo de produto no meio ambiente. Na indústria, em geral, há uma demanda muito grande por água de boa qualidade e grande parte do referido volume será eliminado para corpos receptores com uma alta carga de matéria orgânica e sólidos, motivo pelo qual águas residuárias geradas em todos os processos industriais devem passar por um tratamento específico. Com isso, alguns processos físico-químicos são largamente solicitados e entre eles a flotação por ar dissolvido (FAD), onde a produção de microbolhas é essencial para um eficiente tratamento do efluente contaminado. Nesta pesquisa foi proposta uma técnica inovadora para produção de microbolhas. A nova técnica induz um fluxo de ar na linha de aspiração de uma bomba centrífuga, em função da pressão negativa existente neste ponto da instalação. Como metodologia de identificação de condições de produção otimizada de microbolhas, foi aplicado um planejamento experimental do tipo delineamento composto central rotacional (DCCR). Dentro das condições de trabalho foram identificadas por variáveis independentes a razão entre as vazões de ar e água (X1) e a pressão na linha de descarga da bomba (X2). Quando testado em um protótipo piloto de flotação por ar dissolvido (FAD), a técnica possibilitou uma eficiência de separação água/óleo da ordem de 97 %. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, a referida metodologia mostrou-se vantajosa em comparação aos processos convencionais de saturação da água a ser tratada com ar comprimido, pela redução de equipamentos e custos com energia. / The continuous expansion of the hydrocarbon processing industry and the extensive use of petroleum-related products has increased the threat of pollution by this type of product in the environment. In the industries, in general, there is a great demand for good quality water and much of the volume of water will be eliminated for receiving bodies with a high load of organic matter and solids. Thus the wastewater generated in all industrial processes needs to have a specific treatment. Some physical-chemical processes are widely requested, including the dissolved air flotation (DAF), where the production of microbubbles is essential for an effective treatment of the contaminated effluent. In this research an innovative technique was proposed for producing microbubbles for the treatment of oily water. The new technique induces a flow of air in the suction of a centrifugal pump, depending on the negative pressure existing at this point in the installation line. A central composite rotational design was used to determine the efficiency of the method. Within the working conditions, independent variables were identified by the ratio between the air flow and water (X1) and the pressure in the pump discharge (X2) line. When tested in a dissolved air flotation prototype (DAF), the technique provided a separation efficiency of 97 % water/oil. According to the results obtained, the above method proved to be advantageous compared to to the conventional process of saturation of the effluent treated with compressed air, by reducing the number of equipment and the energy costs.

Thesis (MTech (Biomedical Sciences))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are designed to remove/decrease conventional pollution parameters from the wastewater influent, so that the final effluent (run off) does not compromise the receiving surface water source. However, as hospital and clinical effluent may form part of the initial influent at a WWTP, bacteria may be exposed to various antibiotics or pharmaceuticals throughout the various stages of primary, secondary and tertiary processes utilised to remove or reduce the level of pollutants. Numerous studies have then indicated that WWTPs have become potential reservoirs for antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and due to ineffective treatment practices, antibiotics are being released into the environment. Consequently, research has shown that relatively low concentrations of these compounds still promotes the development of bacterial resistance, which potentiates the rapid spread of ARB in the environment. The primary aim of this study was thus to identify and trace the antibiotic resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) throughout the Stellenbosch WWTP. This was done in order to determine the persistance of the ARB organisms at the various stages of treatment and to ascertain which identification and antibiotic resistance detection methods are ideal for the routine application and detection of these organisms. / National Research Foundation

Orientador : Ranulfo Monte Alegre / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-03T14:22:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alberte_TaniaMaria_D.pdf: 9835439 bytes, checksum: 74ab1a7efc7d568bc9c3b37f762f08ec (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003 / Resumo: Reatores "air-lift" são uma classe especial de coluna de bolhas, sendo recentemente utilizados em processos químicos, bioquímicos e em tratamento de águas residuárias. Neste trabalho, estudou-se o desempenho de um reator "air-lift" de tubos concêntricos no tratamento de água residuária sintética utilizando Iodo ativado. O reator construido de aço-inox, com tubos de aeração e reciclo de 1,2 e 1,5 m respectivamente, foi alimentado com água residuária sintética, sendo o Iodo separado em sedimentador na parte superior do reator e reciclado ao mesmo. A pressão manométrica no reator variou de O a 1,2 Kgf.cm-2, vazão de ar de 200 a 1600 mL.min-1 e vazão de substrato de 200 a 400 mL.h-1. Para cada taxa de alimentação, vazão de ar e pressão, o reator foi operado de forma contínua até que o estado estacionário hidráulico e microbiológico fossem atingidos. As amostras foram retiradas na altura média do reator e análises da Demanda Química de Oxigênio (DQO) e biomassa (quantificada como sólidos suspensos voláteis - SSV) foram feitas de acordo com métodos descritos pelo "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" (1985). Os três parâmetros, vazão de alimentação, vazão de ar e pressão, variaram gradativamente, além da concentração de DQO do substrato (1100 a 8600 mgDQO.L-1), de forma que foi possível aumentar a concentração de Iodo no reator (SSV) de 1010 a 15000 mgSSV.L-1, sendo este último valor cerca de cinco vezes maior que os de processos convencionais de Iodo ativado, que é de 2000 a 3000 mgSSV.L -1 (Ramalho, 1983). Isto permitiu aumentar a eficiência de redução de DQO de 47 a 87%, respectivamente para reator operado a pressão ambiente e com variação de pressão. O coeficiente de transferência de oxigênio (K1a) aumentou com o aumento da vazão de ar até o limite de 1000 mL.min-1 (5,41 h-1), decrescendo para vazões superiores a esta, possivelmente devido à coalescência de bolhas. O coeficiente de retenção de gás (Eg) foi determinado e, para as vazões de ar testadas (200 a 1400 mL.min-1), variou de 2,08.10-3 a 12,95.10-3, proporcionalmente às vazões de ar utilizadas / Abstract: Air lift reaetors are a speeial elass of bubble eolumns and are been reeently used in ehemieal and bioehemical processes, as well as in wastewater treatment. In this work, it was studied the performanee of aeoneentrie tube air lift reaetor in the synthetie wastewater treatment by aetivated sludge. The reaetor was eonstrueted of stainless steel, 1.2 m high of riser and 1.5 m high of downeomer. It was fed with synthetie wastewater and the sludge was separeted in a sedimentator in the top of reaetor and reeyeled. The manometrie pressure varied from O to 1.2 kgf.em'2, the air flow rate from 200 to 1,600 mL.min-1 and the feed solution from 200 to 400 mL.h -1. To eaeh feed solution of synthetie wastewater rate, air flow rate and pressure, the reaetor was operated in eontinuous form until the hidraulie and mierobiologieal steady-state was reaehed. The samples were eolleeted in the half of the reaetor. Chemieal oxygen demand (COO) and volatils solids eoneentration (VSS) was determinated aceording to ín Standard Methods for the Examínation of Water and Wastewater (1985). Feed solution rate, air flow rate and pressure rangedgradually, as well as eoneentration of feed synthetie wastewater (1,100 of 8,600 mgCOO.L- / Doutorado / Doutor em Engenharia de Alimentos

Domestic and industrial water demands are growing globally due to population growth and rapid economic development, placing increasing strains on water resources. Wastewater effluents generated from these and other activities impact the environment and are thus subject to tightening regulation. The focus of research and development in water treatment processes aims at both pollutant removal efficiency and cost of purification. Membrane distillation (MD) is a developing thermally driven technology capable of achieving extremely high environmental performance utilizing renewable energy sources to a high degree. District heating networks, and in particular those driven by biomass, represent an ideal heat supply for MD systems. This thesis presents a technoeconomic assessment of district heating driven MD for water purification in selected industrial applications. The study covers analysis of MD separation performance and the related costs from different district heating integration scenarios. The analyses are based on three types of semi-commercial MD modules, with experiments conducted at laboratory and pilot scales. The case studies include pharmaceutical residue removal from effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plant, wastewater purification in pharmaceutical industry, and ethanol concentration in bioethanol production plant. Full-scale simulation studies were carried out for the identified case studies based on the experimental data obtained from MD module along with process information gathered from the industries. Results from the pharmaceutical residue removal pilot trials showed very good to excellent separation efficiency for 37 compounds at feed concentrations ranging from ng/L to mg/L. From alcohol-water feeds, ethanol concentrations were increased from 5% to nearly 90%. Simulation studies revealed that district heating integration of MD systems is feasible. Costs per unit volume of purified water are higher than competing technologies, however the configurations enable enhanced environmental performance that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. / Kommunala och industriella vattenkrav växer globalt på grund av befolkningstillväxt och snabb ekonomisk utveckling, vilket ökar belastningen på vattenresurserna. Avloppsvatten från alla verk-samheter påverkar miljön och är därmed föremål för tilltagande reglering. Fokus i forskning och utveckling av vattenreningsprocesser syftar till att både öka effektiviteten i avlägsnandet av föroreningarna och att minska kostnaderna för detta. Membrandestillation (MD) är en ny termiskt driven teknik som kan uppnå extremt hög miljö-prestanda genom att den är effektiv och i hög grad kan drivas av förnybara energikällor. Fjärrvärmesystem, särskilt de som drivs av biomassa, utgör en idealisk värmeförsörjning för ett MD-system. Avhandlingen presenterar en teknoekonomisk bedömning av fjärrvärmedriven MD för vattenrening i utvalda industriella applikationer. Studien analyserar MD-systemets separations-prestanda och kostnader i olika fjärrvärmeintegrationsscenarier. Analyserna baseras på tre typer av semi-kommersiella MD-moduler, med experiment utförda på laboratorie- och pilotskala. Fallstudierna innefattar: borttagning av läkemedelsrester från avloppsvatten från kommunalt avloppsreningsverk; avloppsvattenrening i läkemedels-industrin; och uppkoncentrering i bioetanolproduktionsanläggning. Fullskaliga simuleringsstudier har utförts för fallstudierna baserat på experimentella data erhållna från MD-modulen och med processinformation som samlats in från industrin. Resultaten från försöken med läkemedelsrester visade mycket god till utmärkt separationseffektivitet för 37 föreningar vid förorenings-koncentrationer som sträckte sig från ng/liter till mg/liter. Vid uppkoncentrering av alkohol ökades etanolhalten från 5 % till nära 90 %. Simuleringsstudier visade att fjärrvärmeintegration av MD-system är möjlig. Kostnader per volym renat vatten är högre än konkurrerande teknik, men konfigurationerna möjliggör förbättrad miljöprestanda som skulle vara svår att uppnå på annat sätt. / <p>This doctoral research has been carried out in the context of an agreement on joint doctoral research supervision between KTH Royal Institute of Technology, (Stockholm, Sweden), and Politecnico di Torino − PoliTo, (Turin, Italy). Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate, SELECT+ (Environomical pathways for sustainable energy services) program. QC 20170523</p> / SLECT+ Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral Program

Orientador: Marco Aurélio Cremasco / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T13:54:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pacheco_JoseRicardo_M.pdf: 2421854 bytes, checksum: 0892102a47f0322520b05c0bad2a79d9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: A gestão dos recursos hídricos, englobando uso de água para fins potáveis e processos industriais, tornou-se de vital importância e ganhou visibilidade na última década do século vinte. Dentre as tecnologias e processos de tratamento de água potável e residuária destaca-se a ozonização. Diante deste contexto a presente dissertação de mestrado visou construir e avaliar um sistema de ozonização baseado em coluna de borbulhamento. Foi construída uma célula de geração de ozônio para se estudar a eficiência de geração, com três gases de alimentação: ar úmido; ar seco e oxigênio. O ar úmido foi captado diretamente da atmosfera, o ar seco e oxigênio foram fornecidos através de um secador de ar e um concentrador de oxigênio respectivamente. O processo de fornecimento de ar seco e oxigênio foi o de "PSA" (pressure swing adsorption) no qual o ar atmosférico passou por uma coluna recheada com zeólita capaz de reter a umidade e moléculas de nitrogênio. A célula geradora de ozônio teve então as condições de descarga elétrica fixas e os três gases de alimentação foram passados pela mesma. A eficiência de geração de ozônio foi então comparada entre os três gases de alimentação. Os valores obtidos apresentaram consistência em relação aos valores de outros autores. Para avaliação da ozonização em fase líquida foi construída uma coluna de borbulhamento onde o ozônio foi borbulhado na parte inferior da coluna usando-se água destilada. Foram realizados experimentos: a) com recirculação da água da parte inferior da coluna até o topo; b) sentido contra-corrente água/gás; c) sentido co-corrente água/gás...Observação: O resumo, na íntegra, poderá ser visualizado no texto completo da tese digital / Abstract: The management of water resources embracing the use of water for potable and industrial processes, has become of vital importance and has gained visibility in the last decade of the twentieth century. Among the technologies and processes for treatment of drinking water and wastewater, ozonation plays an important role. Considering this context the dissertation work aimed to construct and evaluate a system based on bubble column ozonation. An ozone generation cell was built to study the generation yield with three feed gases: humid air; dry air and oxygen. The humid air was captured directly from the atmosphere, dry air and oxygen were supplied by an air dryer and one oxygen concentrator respectively. The feed gas preparation process to supply dry air and oxygen is called "pressure swing adsorption", which the atmospheric air is passed through a column filled with a zeolite compound which retains moisture and nitrogen molecules. Ozone generation cell discharge electrical conditions were fixed, after the three feed gases were passed through the cell. Then ozone generation efficiency was measured and compared between the three feed gases. The values obtained were consistent with those obtained by other authors. To evaluate ozonation in the liquid phase a bubble column was constructed, where gaseous ozone was bubbled into the column bottom. Distilled water was chosen as the liquid medium. Experiments were carried out in the following conditions: a) recirculating water from the bottom to the top of the column; b) countercurrent flow directions between gas/liquid; c) concurrent flow directions between gas/liquid...Note: The complete abstract is available with the full electronic document / Mestrado / Engenharia de Processos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:20:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rosangela_cristine_silva_henauth.pdf: 1940790 bytes, checksum: d6b3e77d22db3b3d90db6a87efbd359a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-01 / The continuous expansion of the hydrocarbon processing industry and the extensive use of petroleum-related products has increased the threat of pollution by this type of product in the environment. In the industries, in general, there is a great demand for good quality water and much of the volume of water will be eliminated for receiving bodies with a high load of organic matter and solids. Thus the wastewater generated in all industrial processes needs to have a specific treatment. Some physical-chemical processes are widely requested, including the dissolved air flotation (DAF), where the production of microbubbles is essential for an effective treatment of the contaminated effluent. In this research an innovative technique was proposed for producing microbubbles for the treatment of oily water. The new technique induces a flow of air in the suction of a centrifugal pump, depending on the negative pressure existing at this point in the installation line. A central composite rotational design was used to determine the efficiency of the method. Within the working conditions, independent variables were identified by the ratio between the air flow and water (X1) and the pressure in the pump discharge (X2) line. When tested in a dissolved air flotation prototype (DAF), the technique provided a separation efficiency of 97 % water/oil. According to the results obtained, the above method proved to be advantageous compared to to the conventional process of saturation of the effluent treated with compressed air, by reducing the number of equipment and the energy costs. / A contínua expansão da indústria de processamento de hidrocarbonetos e a extensa utilização de produtos relacionados com o petróleo aumentou a ameaça da poluição por esse tipo de produto no meio ambiente. Na indústria, em geral, há uma demanda muito grande por água de boa qualidade e grande parte do referido volume será eliminado para corpos receptores com uma alta carga de matéria orgânica e sólidos, motivo pelo qual águas residuárias geradas em todos os processos industriais devem passar por um tratamento específico. Com isso, alguns processos físico-químicos são largamente solicitados e entre eles a flotação por ar dissolvido (FAD), onde a produção de microbolhas é essencial para um eficiente tratamento do efluente contaminado. Nesta pesquisa foi proposta uma técnica inovadora para produção de microbolhas. A nova técnica induz um fluxo de ar na linha de aspiração de uma bomba centrífuga, em função da pressão negativa existente neste ponto da instalação. Como metodologia de identificação de condições de produção otimizada de microbolhas, foi aplicado um planejamento experimental do tipo delineamento composto central rotacional (DCCR). Dentro das condições de trabalho foram identificadas por variáveis independentes a razão entre as vazões de ar e água (X1) e a pressão na linha de descarga da bomba (X2). Quando testado em um protótipo piloto de flotação por ar dissolvido (FAD), a técnica possibilitou uma eficiência de separação água/óleo da ordem de 97 %. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, a referida metodologia mostrou-se vantajosa em comparação aos processos convencionais de saturação da água a ser tratada com ar comprimido, pela redução de equipamentos e custos com energia.

Os custos com a implantação de unidades piloto de flotação por ar dissolvido (FAD) requerem estratégias especiais em função da falta de correlações entre a escala laboratorial e a industrial, uma vez que os projetos de FAD têm sido concebidos apenas sob o ponto de vista econômico. Nesse sentido, tem-se realizado esforços significativos para descrever e modelar um scale-up para o processo de FAD, sendo necessário elaborar e validar um modelo de previsão de scale-up para promover a mudança de escala necessária. No presente trabalho foi obtida uma correlação de scale-up como base para o projeto de uma unidade piloto, a partir de um modelo físico em escala de laboratório por meio da análise de correlações de semelhança dinâmica envolvendo grandezas predominantes em uma câmara de FAD usada na separação e recuperação de águas oleosas. Com auxílio da fluidodinâmica computacional e de vídeos dos fluxos de microbolhas e flocos, as forças de inércia e de gravidade foram identificadas como as grandezas predominantes em uma câmara de FAD pela discrepância entre as velocidades médias de ascensão de microbolhas e flocos, de 8,73&#61655;10-7 m/s e 1,175&#61655;10-5 m/s, respectivamente. As simulações foram realizadas por meio do software ANSYS e as medidas foram efetuadas com o auxílio de uma câmera fotográfica. A metodologia de trabalho empregada permitiu o desenvolvimento de uma técnica simples e de baixo custo, diminuindo a probabilidade de riscos futuros em um investimento de scale-up. / The implantation costs of dissolved air flotation (DAF) pilot units require special strategies due to the lack of correlations between laboratory and industrial scale, as novel flotation methods have been considered strictly from an economic standpoint. In this sense, significant efforts have been made to describe and model a scale-up to the process of FAD, being necessary to design and validate a scale-up forecasting model to promote a change in the required scale. In this study a scale-up correlation for a pilot unit project was determined based on the analysis of dynamic similarity correlations involving the predominant phenomena of a dissolved air flotation (DAF) chamber used in separating and recovering oily water. With the aid of computational fluid dynamics and videos of microbubble and floc flow, inertia and gravity were identified as the predominant phenomena in a DAF chamber by the discrepancy between the average speeds of rise of microbubbles and flakes of 8.73 &#61655;10-7 m/s and 1.175&#61655;10-5 m/s, respectively. The simulations were performed using ANSYS software and measurements were made with the aid of a camera. The strategy described herein is simple and reduces the likelihood of future risks in scale-up investments.