Modelling of the dispersed air flotation process applied to dairy wastewater treatment

Abstract

The aim of this work was to develop a mathematical model for a continuously operating flotation tank to provide the scale-up and optimization of the separation system. The fluid dynamic of the tank was assumed to be a perfect mixture and the flotation kinetics to be a first-order reaction, as suggested by the batch operation. The experiments were carried out in a continuously operating 60 L tank, used in the treatment of a synthetic dairy waste at its isoelectric point. A mathematical model that describes the behavior of a continuously operating flotation tank used in the treatment of a synthetic dairy waste at its isoelectric point is not only proposed, but also validated with experimental data.