The increasing cost of effluent treatment in the wool scouring industry is rapidly becoming a determining factor in the viability of existing scouring operations and new installations alike. This thesis details the development of an integrated effluent treatment process capable of treating the worst polluted effluent from a wool scour "heavy flow-down", to the point where it can either be economically discharged to local trade waste sewer, or directly discharged to river or ocean outfall with minimal environmental impact. The existing proprietary chemical flocculation process, Sirolan CF™, was improved by the addition of a bio-flocculation stage and turbidity monitoring and control, and the product from this process fed to an aerobic biological treatment system based upon the traditional activated sludge process. The biological treatment process was found to remove up to 98% of the BOD5 loading from the pre-treated liquor with a hydraulic residence time of at least 50 hours being required in the aerobic digestion vessels. A residual biorefractory COD of approximately 3,600mg/L was identified which could not be removed by biological treatment. When operating continuously, the biological process was observed to metabolically neutralise the pH 3.0 - 4.5 feed from the chemical flocculation system to pH &gt 7.0 without the need for supplemental addition of neutralising agents such as sodium hydroxide. This in itself provides a significant economic incentive for implementation of the process. Kinetic analysis of the biological process carried out under controlled laboratory conditions using a Bioflo 3000 continuous fermentor showed that the bio-chemical process followed substrate inhibition kinetics. An appropriate kinetic model was identified to represent the behaviour of the substrate degradation system, and modified by inclusion of a pseudo toxic concentration to account for the effect of pH inhibition upon the biological growth rate. The process was verified both at pilot plant scale and at demonstration plant scale at an operational wool scour. The demonstration plant was of sufficient size to handle the full heavy effluent flow-down from a small wool scour. At the time of publishing three full-scale effluent treatment systems based on this research had been sold to both domestic and international clients of ADM Group Ltd. who funded the research.

Flocculants are commonly used in industrial settings where solid-liquid separations are desired including industrial and municipal wastewater management and potable water production facilities. Conventional flocculants include inorganic metal salts and synthetic organic polymers. The cost, availability, and harmful effects of the non-biodegradable nature of these flocculants have led to the widespread study of natural flocculants. Current natural flocculants being studied include polysaccharides cultivated from microbial extracellular matrix products and plant based materials. In this study, the mucilage of Opuntia ficus-indica cactus was evaluated as a natural flocculant for sediments and bacteria. The O. ficus-indica cactus is also known as the nopal or prickly pear and is commonly used as a food source in Mexico and Latin America. Using simple extraction techniques non-gelling (NE) and gelling (GE) mucilage extracts were isolated from fresh cactus pads. Column tests were used to evaluate the flocculation and removal of suspended sediment and bacteria caused by mucilage addition. Throughout this work the mucilage's ability as a flocculant was evaluated by varying mucilage type and concentration, suspended contaminant type and concentration, and cation type and concentration. Many of the results are explained in terms of the morphology and chemical composition of the GE and NE mucilage extracts. The extracts consist primarily of polysaccharides and differences in physical structure between mucilage types were seen using atomic force microscopy and transition electron microscopy. A variety of suspended particles were used to evaluate the mucilage as a flocculant including kaolin, acid-washed kaolin, and bacteria. The bacteria employed in this study include Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli HB101 K12, and fully attenuated Bacillus anthracis Sterne strain. The addition of monovalent (Na+ and K+), divalent (Ca2+ and Mg2+), and trivalent (Al3+ and Fe3+) cations was studied alone and in combination with mucilage. In cation studies Ca2+ had the most profound effect on flocculation efficiency; therefore its efficacy was further explored. Mucilage was most effective with dosages between 5 and 50 mg/L for the contaminants studied. Using these optimal concentrations, 20 to 200 L of water could be treated with only 1 g of mucilage powder. Based on the extraction method used in this work, 1 g of mucilage can be obtained from a cactus pad weighing approximately 250 g (wet weight). Mucilage remained an effective flocculant over a wide range of suspended contaminant concentrations showing that mucilage is a versatile flocculant that can be tailored for a variety of applications. Overall, this work shows that the O. ficus-indica cactus is an effective flocculant for suspended sediments and bacteria. The cactus' low cost, abundance, and current use in many areas make it an attractive alternative to traditionally used flocculants. Additionally, this work builds upon existing knowledge pertaining to natural flocculants and could offer insight into their general behaviors for water treatment applications.

The effectiveness of partial ozonation of return activated sludge for enhancing denitrification and waste sludge minimization were examined. A pair of nitrifying sequencing batch reactors was operated in either aerobic or alternating anoxic/aerobic conditions, with one control and one ozonated reactor in each set. The amount of solids decreased with the ozone dose. Biomass in the anoxic/aerobic reactor was easier to destroy than in the aerobic one, generating approximately twice as much soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) by cell lysis. Increased COD favoured production of extracellular polymers in ozonated reactors, enhancing flocculation and improving settling. Floc stability was also strengthened in prolonged operation in alternating treatment, resulting in declined solids destruction. Dewaterability was better in alternating reactors than in aerobic ones indicating that incorporation of an anoxic zone for biological nutrient removal leads to improvement in sludge dewatering. The negative impact of ozonation on dewaterability was minimal in terms of the long-term operation. Ozone successively destroyed indicator estrogenic compounds, contributing to total estrogen removal from wastewater. Denitrification rate improved up to 60% due to additional carbon released by ozonation. Nitrification rates deteriorated much more in the aerobic than in the alternating reactor, possibly as a result of competition created by growth of heterotrophs receiving the additional COD. Overall, ozonation provided the expected benefits and had less negative impacts on processes in the alternating treatment, although after prolonged operation, benefits could become less significant. The alternating anoxic/aerobic reactor achieved twice the nitrification rates of its aerobic counterpart. Higher removal rates of estrogens were associated with higher nitrification rates, supporting the contention that the nitrifying biomass was responsible for their removal. The alternating treatment offered the better estrogen biodegradation. Microbial populations in both reactors were examined with fluorescent in situ hybridization. Dominance of rapid nitrifiers like Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter (79.5%) in the alternating reactor, compared to a dominance of slower nitrifiers like Nitrosospira and Nitrospira (78.2%) in the aerobic reactor were found. The findings are important to design engineers, as reactors are typically designed based on nitrifiers’ growth rate determined in strictly aerobic conditions.

Flocculation, the process whereby yeast cells attach in groups and sediment to the top or bottom of a fermenter, is industrially important in many fermentation batch operations. These batch operations include wine, distilled spirits, cider, bio-ethanol and production of commercial yeast metabolites. In the case of brewing yeast, it has been determined that flocculation occurs due to three forces called hydrophobic interactions, zymolectin binding and to a lesser extent, surface charge neutralization. This project sought to more closely study hydrophobic interactions and zymolectin binding. Earlier studies had shown that certain hydrophobic carboxylic acids, 3-OH oxylipins, formed in brewing yeast at flocculation onset. Therefore, these compounds showed potential as an indicator of overall cell surface hydrophobicity, and it was believed that flocculation level, cell surface hydrophobicity and oxylipin level would increase in unison in the yeast cell during brewing fermentations. During lab scale fermentations in shaker flasks and in a miniature fermentation assay setup, both flocculation level and cell surface hydrophobicity increased coincidently. However, 3-OH oxylipins could not be isolated from whole cells or cell wall isolates grown in the shaker flasks or whole cells grown in the miniature fermentation assay at detection limits approximated as 50 ng/0.5 g wet yeast. Due to their minute levels in brewing yeast cells, it was proposed that 3-OH oxylipins may mediate flocculation and aggregation via a quorum sensing mechanism instead of by increasing cell surface hydrophobicity. A disagreement exists in the literature where certain researchers believe zymolectin activity is induced, while others believe it is constitutive. The second part of this study attempted to address this by measuring zymolectin density during lab scale fermentations with a flow cytometer. Because of flow cytometry’s capacity for multiparametric analysis, large amounts of data were produced which gave information on not only zymolectin density, but also cell size and cellular complexity. Upon statistical analysis of the data, it was not possible to either refute or confirm the claim that zymolectin activity is induced or constitutive. However, the results suggested there could have been a population of cells with fewer zymolectins, and this certainly warrants further investigation. During the lab scale fermentations, cell size measured by a flow cytometer appeared to be correlated with manual measures of cell size. Furthermore, cell size tended towards uniformity during the fermentation which has also been observed in similar studies employing flow cytometry. Conversely, the cellular complexity of the yeast in this study did not change as in other studies by this may have been due either to strain differences or the methods used herein.

Bitumen recovery by the water-based extraction process produces waste streams known as tailings. When discharged into the tailing ponds, the coarse solids in the tailings stream settle out quickly, while the fine solids accumulate over years of settling to a solids content of 30-35% by weight. The formed fluid fine solids sludge, known as mature fine tailings (MFT), traps 1-3% by weight hydrocarbons within its stable slurry structure. The remediation of these mature fine tailings is one of the major challenges facing the oil sands industry. This study was intended to investigate the recovery of residual hydrocarbons in the MFT by froth flotation process. Using a laboratory Denver flotation cell operated in a batch mode, the effect of MFT dilution ratio by process water or tap water, the flotation hydrodynamics and aeration rate on hydrocarbon recovery kinetics was studied. It was found that at 1:2 dilution by weight of the MFT with process water, increasing aeration rate has a more favourable effect on recovering more than 85% of the hydrocarbons from the MFT. The hydrocarbon-rich froth produced was treated by naphtha and was found to produce a hydrocarbon product similar to diluted bitumen obtained in bitumen extraction process, suitable for upgrading. Similar approach was applied to the hydrocarbon-rich tailings from the Tailings Solvent Recovery Unit of paraffinic froth treatment. Satisfactory recovery of hydrocarbons from the MFT was obtained using a flotation column operated in a continuous mode, confirmed the results obtained from the batch tests. The tailings produced from the continuous flotation experiments were treated with polymer flocculants such as Magnafloc-1011 and Al-PAM to study the effect of hydrocarbon recovery on the remediation of the MFT. The results from initial tests showed that both flocculants were not as effective on flocculating MFT solids following the recovery of hydrocarbons by froth flotation. / in Chemical Engineering

Thesis ( Ph.D) -- McMaster University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Flocculation can be defined as the asexual aggregation of yeast cells in a liquid environment. This aggregation of cells, also referred to as "floc formation", will in most cases lead to rapid settling or sedimentation. However, in so-called top-fermenting yeast strains, the floes can move to the surface of the liquid growth substrate to form a thin layer, called a "velum", that has been compared to other microbial biofilms. The factors that trigger flocculation can be divided into two groups, physical/chemical (e.g. sugar content, the presence of inorganic salts, organic solvents, ethanol concentration, pH, agitation etc.) and genetic factors (genes that encode for proteins that are either directly or indirectly involved in flocculation). In top-fermenting yeast strains, several physical and chemical factors that trigger the process have been described, including ethanol concentration, the presence of organic solvents, the absence of molecular oxygen and the presence of inorganic salts (Ca2+ and Mg2+). These factors appear to affect the cell hydrophobicity and the cell surface charge. As for genetic factors, no specific genes have thus far been associated with flocculation in top fermenting yeast strains. In bottom-fermenting yeast strains, the physical and chemical factors that affect the process are similar to the ones described for top-fermenting yeast strains, but include, more specifically, the concentration of hexoses in the media (mannose or glucose), which may inhibit the process. Indeed, flocculation in bottom-fermenting yeast strains has been divided into the NewFlo type (inhibited by both mannose and glucose) and the Fl01 type (inhibited by mannose) on the basis of the inhibitory effect of specific sugars. Various genes have been associated with the flocculation of bottom-fermenting yeast strains. Through genetic analysis, the genes have been categorised into dominant genes, semidominant genes and recessive genes. In order to better understand the role of some of the proteins responsible for flocculation in S. cerevisiae, and to create strains whose flocculation properties would correspond to those wanted in the wine and beer industries, three of the dominant flocculation genes, FL01, FL05 and FL011, were placed under the control of the promoters of the stationary phase-induced genes, ADH2 and HSP30. This was achieved by replacing the native promoters of the flocculation genes with the heterologous promoters through homologous recombination. The laboratory strain FY23, which is nonflocculent due to the absence of the transcription factor that is required for flocculation, F108p,was used as a model system. Some of the transformed strains showed high flocculation, especially when the genes were placed under control of the ADH2 promoter. In addition to this, the strains carrying a modified FL011 gene showed increased adhesion to solid agar media and were able to invade the growth substrate. These strains also showed an increased velum-forming ability when grown in media containing only non-fermentable carbon sources. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Flokkulasie kan gedefinieër word as die ongeslagtelike aggregasie van gisselle in 'n vloeibare medium. Hierdie aggregasie van selle, kan ook na verwys word as flok formasie, en in meeste gevalle lei dit tot In vinnige sedimentering. In oppervlak-fermenterende giste, beweeg die flokke na die oppervlakte van die vloeibare medium om sodoende 'n flor -lagie te vorm. Hierdie verskynsel was ook al gevind in ander organismes. Verskeie faktore is verantwoordelik vir die effektiwiteit van flokkuklasie. Hierdie faktore kan in twee groepe verdeel word, nl. fisiese en chemiese faktore (byv. suikerkonsentrasie, die teenwoordigheid van anorganiese soute, organiese oplossings, etanol konsentrasie, pH, ens.) en genetiese faktore (gene wat kodeer vir die proteïene wat of direk of indirek betrokke is by flokkulasie). In oppervlak-fermenterende giste is daar al heelwat informasie beskikbaar omtrent fisies en chemiese faktore se effekte op flokkulasie. Van die faktore waarvan heelwat informasie beskikbaar is sluit in, etanol konsentrasie, die teenwoordigheid van organiese oplossings, die afwesigheid van molekulêre suurstof en die teenwoordigheid van anorganiese soute (Ca2+ en Mg2+). Hierdie faktore toon 'n effek of hidrofobisiteit en elektriese lading op die seloppervlakte. Geen genetiese faktore kon tot dusver gekoppel word aan flokkulasie in oppervlak-fermenterende giste nie. Benede-oppervlak fermenterende giste se fisies en chemiese faktore wat effektiwiteit van flokkulasie beïnvloed is dieselfde as die van oppervlak-fermenterende giste, maar sluit in meer spesifiek, die konsentrasie van heksoses in die media (nl. mannose en glukose), wat 'n inhiberende effek het op flokkulasie. Die benede-oppervlak fermenterende giste se flokkulasie kan in twee segmente verdeel word nl. die NewFlo tipe (word geïnhibeer deur die teenwoordigheid van mannose en glukose) en die Flo1-tipe (word geïnhibeer deur slegs die teenwoordigheid van mannose). Verskeie gene was ook al geidentifiseer wat die effektiwiteit van flokkulasie beïnvloed in benede-oppervlak fermenterende giste. Hierdie gene kan in drie kategorieë opverdeel word, nl dominante-, semi-dominante- en ressessiewe flokkulerende gene. Ten orde 'n beter begrip te kry rondom die proteïene verantwoordelik vir die meeste effektiwiteit ten opsigte van flokkulasie in S. cerevisiae, asook om giste te manipuleer om spesifieke flokkulasie eienskappe te toon volgens die belange van die wyn en bierindustrieë, was drie dominante flokkulerende gene, nl. FL01, FL05, en FL011, onder regulering van stationêre fase-geïnduseerde promotors, PADH2 en PHSP30, geplaas. Dit was verkry deur die vervanging van die wilde tipe promotors van die drie gene met die stationêre fase-geïnduseerde promotors deur middel van homoloë rekombinasie. Die laboratorium gisras, FY23, wat 'n nie-flokkulerende gisras is vanweë die afwesigheid van 'n transkripsionele faktor, Flo8p, wat verantwoordelik is vir die aktivering van belangrike gene in flokkulasie, was gebruik as 'n wilde tipe ras. Sommige van die transformante het In hoë mate van flokkulasie getoon, veral wanneer onder die regulering van die PADH2. Tesame met laasgenoemde verskynsel, was daar gevind dat FL011-transformante 'n verhoging in hul vermoeë het om te bind aan die agar en ook om die agar te penetreer. Laasgenoemde gisrasse het ook die vermoë getoon om 'n flor-lagie te vorm bo-op die oppervlakte van die medium, maar slegs wanneer dit in niefermenteerbare koolstofbronbevattende media opgegroei word.

Submitted by Pedro Augusto Grava da Silva null (pedroagrava@gmail.com) on 2017-08-31T20:44:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado - Pedro Augusto Grava da Silva.pdf: 2172440 bytes, checksum: 060031f8bfdf62d96e69dee0cad48a65 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-09-01T14:47:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_pag_me_bauru.pdf: 2172440 bytes, checksum: 060031f8bfdf62d96e69dee0cad48a65 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-01T14:47:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_pag_me_bauru.pdf: 2172440 bytes, checksum: 060031f8bfdf62d96e69dee0cad48a65 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-12 / Item merged in doublecheck by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-12-07T18:03:54Z Item was identical to item(s): 152464, 152368 at handle(s): http://hdl.handle.net/11449/151521, http://hdl.handle.net/11449/152148 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esta dissertação teve como objetivos a investigação da resistência e do recrescimento de flocos, produzidos durante a floculação de água destinada ao abastecimento, e foi dividida em duas etapas. Em primeiro lugar a resistência de agregados à quebra induzida por distúrbio hidrodinâmico foi investigada por meio de três técnicas macroscópicas de medição, a saber: fator de resistência (FR), a tensão local (σ) e o coeficiente de resistência do floco (γ). Num segundo momento a capacidade de recuperação do tamanho dos agregados foi investigada. O diâmetro estável (d) e o parâmetro característico da função de distribuição de tamanho de agregados (β) foram utilizados para analisar o processo refloculação após a quebra induzida dos agregados. Para obtenção das variáveis de interesse, foi utilizado método não intrusivo de análise de imagem e equipamento baseado em dispersão de luz. As águas de estudo foram preparadas em laboratório a partir de solução de ácido húmico (água tipo 1) e suspensão de caulinita (tipo 2), e coaguladas por dosagem de sal de alumínio em região do mecanismo de varredura. A floculação ocorreu em gradientes de velocidade médios (G) entre 20 e 120 s-1, e a ruptura ocorreu sob condições controladas com Gquebra de 800 s-1 por 10 segundos. Após a ruptura, a condição inicial foi reestabelecida para análise da recuperação de tamanho do agregado. Os resultados mostraram, para as duas água de estudo, uma tendência crescente para FR em resposta ao aumento de G. A mesma tendência foi observada para γ o que pode indicar que condições elevadas de agitação produzem flocos mais resistentes. Os resultados da análise da refloculação apontaram que o agregado não recupera totalmente seu tamanho, tanto para os flocos de Al-ácido húmico como para os de Al-caulinita. Para água tipo 1, o diâmetro estável dos agregados diminuiu de 332 μm antes da quebra, para 157 μm após a recuperação, e de 233 para 132 μm na água tipo 2, utilizando G de 20 s-1. O parâmetro β que exprime a distribuição de tamanho dos agregados, também apontou para uma diminuição geral do tamanho dos agregados, de forma que após a quebra a distribuição foi deslocada para as faixas de classificação de menor tamanho. / This dissertation has aimed to investigate the strength and re-growth during the flocculation of drinking water, and was divided into two steps. The first one was investigate the rupture of floc caused by shear induced forces through three macroscopic techniques, namely: strength factor (FR), the average strength per unit area at the plane of rupture (σ) and the floc strength coefficient (γ). The second one was investigate the re-growth ability of flocs. The stable diameter (d) and the characteristic parameter of the aggregate size distribution function (β) were used to analyze the re-growth process after the induced breakage of the aggregates. The method was based on a non-intrusive image analysis monitoring technique and a light scattering equipment. The study waters were prepared in laboratory from humic acid solution (water type 1) and kaolinite suspension (type 2) and coagulated by dosing aluminum salt in the region of the “sweep flocculation” mechanism. The flocculation occurred for average velocity gradients (G) from 20 to 120 s-1 and the breakage occurred under controlled conditions for Gquebra of 800 s-1 for 10 seconds. After breakage, the initial condition was re-established for aggregate size recovery analysis. For the two study waters the results showed an increasing trend for FR in response to the increase of G. The same trend was observed for γ which may indicate that high agitation conditions produce more resistant flocs. The reflocculation analysis results showed that the aggregate did not fully recover its size, both for the aliquots of Al-humic acid and those of Al-kaolinite. The stable diameter of the aggregates for water type 1 decreased from 332 μm before breakage, to 157 μm after recovery, and from 233 to 132 μm in water type 2, using G of 20 s-1. The parameter β expressing the aggregate size distribution also pointed to a general decrease in aggregate size, so that after the breakage the distribution was shifted to the smaller size ranges. / 33004056089P5

Il n’est pas constaté d’autofloculation naturelle dans les cultures hypersalines de D. salina. De plus, cette dernière ne flotte pas sans déstabilisation de la suspension. La floculation induite par augmentation du pH lors de l’ajout de soude a été choisie dans cette étude pour permettre la flottation. Des efficacités de récupération supérieures à 90% et des facteurs de concentration autour de 20 sont atteints. Un mécanisme d’autofloculation, avec précipitation de Mg(OH)2 est proposé pour expliquer la floculation par balayage de D. salina. L’influence du débit d’injection de soude ajoutée est aussi étudié pour anticiper les contraintes relatives à l’industrialisation du procédé. Ce débit n’a pas d’effet sur l’efficacité de récupération des algues et réduit le facteur de concentration seulement pour les injections abruptes.L’augmentation naturelle du pH de culture par l’intermédiaire de l’activité photosynthétique pourrait permettre de réduire le taux de base consommé. Les cellules non-récoltées restent en vie durant l’augmentation du pH et pourraient être utilisées comme inoculum d’une nouvelle culture. / Natural autoflocculation was not observed in a Dunaliella salina hypersaline culture and the microalgae did not float without destabilization of the algal suspension. High-pH-induced flocculation by sodium hydroxide addition was chosen to induce flotation. Recovery efficiencies greater than 90% and concentration factors of around 20 were reached. An autoflocculation mechanism, with precipitation of magnesium hydroxide, is proposed to explain a sweeping flotation of D. salina cells. The influence of the flow rate of sodium hydroxide addition was also studied to anticipate the constraints related to the industrialization of this process. The flow rate of sodium hydroxide addition had no effect on the recovery efficiency and reduced the concentration factor only for abrupt injections. Natural increase of culture pH by photosynthetic activity could reduce the amount of base consumed. Non-harvested cells remained viable during pH increase and could be used as inoculum for a new culture.

Em um tratamento de águas de abastecimento ou residuárias, a coagulação/floculação é um processo de grande importância. A determinação dos agentes coagulante/floculante e a quantidade necessária de cada um deles são problemas rotineiros para os profissionais e podem influenciar na qualidade do tratamento. Determinar o tamanho dos flocos é fundamental para que a operação de floculação ocorra com melhor eficiência. Ainda, variáveis hidrodinâmicas, como a velocidade, volume das partículas e do recipiente, também têm a mesma importância nesta finalidade. No presente trabalho, a modelagem do processo de floculação via balanço populacional foi estudada com o objetivo de prever a formação de agregados/flocos em relação com o tempo até atingir o estado estacionário e em condições de operação distintas. Assim, um modelo de balanço populacional pela técnica de discretização por pivô fixo foi implementado no software EMSO. Um estudo foi realizado através de processamento/análise de imagens capturadas em um experimento de coagulação/floculação. As imagens obtidas do processo de floculação foram analisadas e foi verificado a distribuição do tamanho dos flocos. Com os dados de volume e concentração inicial de partículas foi possível a simulação no modelo matemático. Assim tornou-se possível observar o crescimento, a estabilização, o comportamento dos flocos em comparação com o modelo matemático e a frequência desses flocos em cada tamanho em diferentes condições, como o gradiente de velocidade e a concentração inicial de partículas. Os resultados obtidos em comparação com os dados experimentais e a simulação do modelo matemático foram possíveis verificar comportamento semelhante de distribuição de tamanho de flocos. A partir dessa análise, o modelo matemático mostrou-se satisfatório em prever o comportamento experimental. Em diferentes condições pode-se verificar que o gradiente de velocidade e a concentração inicial de partículas influenciam na formação e estabilização dos flocos. Este estudo teve a utilização de softwares de livre acesso para trazer a proposta de implementação a fim de trazer economia de agentes químicos utilizados e melhoria nos processos de operação da estação tratamento de efluentes. / In a wastewater treatment, coagulation / flocculation is a process of great importance. The determination of coagulant / flocculant agent and the required amount of each problems are routine for professional and can influence the quality of treatment. Determination the flocs size is essential for flocculation operation to occur with greater efficiency. Still, hydrodynamic variables, such as speed, particles volume and the container also have the same importance in this purpose. In the present work, modeling of flocculation process by population balance was studied in order to predict the formation of aggregates / flocs in relation to time to reach steady state and at different operating conditions. Thus, a population balance model by discretization technique for fixed pivot was implemented in EMSO software. A study was conducted through the processing / analysis of images captured on an experiment coagulation / flocculation. Images obtained in the flocculation process were analyzed and it was found the size distribution of flocs. With the volume and initial particle concentration values, simulation was possible in mathematical model. Thus it became possible to observe the growth, establization and behavior of flocs in comparison with the mathematical model, and the frequency of such flocs in each size in different conditions, such as the velocity gradient and the initial particle concentration. The results obtained in comparison to experimental data and simulation of the mathematical model we observed behavior flocs size distribution similar. From this analysis, mathematical model was satisfactory to predict the experimental behavior. Under different conditions can be seen that the velocity gradient and the initial concentration of particles influence the formation and stabilization of flocs. This study was the use of software-free access to bring the implementation of proposal in order to bring savings of chemicals used and improvement in operating processes of wastewater treatment station.