Author(s)

M.C. Menkiti, P.C. Nnaji, C.I. Nwoye, O.D. Onukwuli

Department of Chemical Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria..
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal university of Technology Owerri, Nigeria.
Enugu State Water Corporation, Enugu, Nigeria.

The coag-flocculation performance of Mucuna Seed Coagulant as affected by pH variation in coal washery effluent has been investigated at room temperature using various dosages of unblended Mucuna Seed Coagulant. In addition, coag-flocculation parameters such as Coagflocculation reaction order α, α^th order coag-flocculation constant K, Collision factor for Brownian Transport β_Br, Smoluchowski constant K_R,, Collision Efficiency ε_p, and Coagulation Period τ_1/2 were determined. Turbidity measurement was employed using the nephelometric (turbidimetric) standard method while Mucuna Seed Coagulant preparation was adopted from the works of Adebowale and Adebowale (2007). The maximum Mucuna Seed Coagulant parameter performance is recorded at α of 2, K of 8.3334 x 10^-3 m³/kg.s, dosages of (0.15 kg/m³; 0.2 kg/m³ ; 0.25 kg/m³); pH of 6 and τ_1/2 of 1.7339 sec while the minimum parametric performance is recorded at α of 1; K of 6.3001 x 10^-4 s^-1; dosage of 0.2kg/m³; pH of 8 and τ_1/2 of 1100.2161seconds. The minimum value of coag-flocculation efficiency E (%) recorded is greater than 88.00 %. Conclusively; Mucuna Seed Coagulant is an effective coagulant obeying the theory of fast coagulation at the conditions of the experiment.

Coag-flocculation, Kinetics, Coal effluent, Mucuna, Coagulation

M. Menkiti, P. Nnaji, C. Nwoye and O. Onukwuli, "Coag-Flocculation Kinetics and Functional Parameters Response of Mucuna Seed Coagulant to pH Variation in Organic Rich Coal Effluent Medium," Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, Vol. 9 No. 2, 2010, pp. 89-103. doi: 10.4236/jmmce.2010.92008.