Abstract
Water purification is one of the most pressing issues of modern times. In this regard, the possibility of flocculation treatment of kaolin suspension with a high content of heavy metal ions was investigated using industrial flocculants: “Kemira Superfloc A-120”, “Rusfloc 506”, and the coagulant “Kemira Ferix-3”. It was shown that the highest degree of suspension clarification is achieved at a flocculant concentration of 0.16 g/L. Increasing the concentration to 0.24 g/L leads to system stabilization due to the recharging of the clay particle surfaces. The electrokinetic potential of kaolin particles is -21.8 mV, which shifts to -30.4 mV when treated with the anionic flocculant “Superfloc A-120”. In the presence of the cationic flocculant “Rusfloc 506” and the coagulant “Kemira Ferix-3”, charge inversion occurs, and the ζ-potential increases to +6.5 mV and +5.5 mV, respectively. Flocculation treatment of the kaolin suspension is accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of metal ions.