Treatment of Surface water in lebanon by using the coagulation-flocculation procedure

In the absence of application of environmental protection laws in Lebanon. Anthropic effluents are directly discharged in the course of rivers. More specially two coastal rivers (GHadir and Ibrahim)located near Beirut. Treatment of these surface waters is done by coagulation-flocculation process by using Al13 coagulant. The elimination of suspended matters in Ghadir and Ibrahim rivers is studied by simple jar test coupled to measurement of supernatant turbidity and sediment volume. Physical and chemical parameters of water before and after treatment are given by Atomic absorption and ion chromatography analysis. The optimal coagulation concentration of Al was defined relatively to lowest concentration of Aluminum needed for maximum turbidity removal in treated water. This study showed that hydrolysis of aluminum salts before adding to water is relevant to the use of similar quantities of Al for the coagulation-flocculation process that eliminates primarily suspended matter in river. Restabilisation is shown in all Jar tests of Ibrahim river, but not in Ghadir where buffering effect is elevated. Results also showed that waters with low turbidity request low concentration of aluminum for the destabilization process. For this, Ibrahim water treatment was found better than river Ghadir characterized by higher inputs of anthropogenic effluents in its course. In all cases, cationic exchanges with Al13 polycations within the sediments caused the release of calcium and the elevation of its concentration in the supernatant. Sulfate concentration diminished continuously in supernatant after the addition of the optimal coagulation concentration of aluminum. (author)