Aluminium Chlorohydrate in Water Treatment
Water Treatment Companies in Malaysia
January 12, 2023
Biogas Industry in Malaysia
February 13, 2023
What is Aluminium Chlorohydrate?
Aluminium Chlorohydrate is a group of specific aluminium salt, used as a coagulant in water and wastewater treatment. It is water-soluble, with the general formula AlₙCl₍₃ₙ₋ₘ₎ₘ.
Due to its high charge, aluminium chlorohydrate is more effective at binding and removing suspended materials in its floc formation. The high degree of neutralization of the HCl also helps minimize the impact to the water pH compared to other aluminium salts. Aluminium chlorohydrate has become coagulant of choice as it has higher efficiency and effectiveness in clarification.
Through years of continuous research, Dia-Chemical Sdn Bhd has developed its own award-winning aluminium chlorohydrate product for water clarification, the DIACHLOR® ACH. As water treatment plants strive to meet stricter standards, many are turning to DIACHLOR® ACH to improve finished water quality, control costs, and enhance efficiency. This specialized super coagulant also helps to reduce chemical solids and alkali usage while easing plant operations.
DIACHLOR® ACH combines many of the best features of inorganic and organic coagulants. It bridges the performance gap between organic polymers and traditional metal-based coagulants like alum and iron salts.
What are the features of DIACHLOR® ACH?
Some of the highlight features of DIACHLOR® ACH include:-
- Stronger, denser floc formation that settles faster than the fluffier flocs of traditional, inorganic coagulants.
- Reduction of the filtered and finished water turbidity to below 0.1 NTU.
- Has least effect on treated water alkalinity levels, resulting in the finished water to become significantly less corrosive.
- Capable at handling waters in which turbidity, particles, organics and other parameters change rapidly.
- Faster response time using smaller dose.
- Decrease caustic demand of using soda ash by 90 percent, improving operations and reducing cost.
- Reduces chemical sludge almost in half during the high turbidity episode.
Why DIACHLOR® ACH a more sustainable option in water treatment?
In the past, water treatment plants generally employ alum and ferric chloride as its major coagulants due to its low cost. However, such material posed a few disadvantages, such as:-
- limited coagulation pH ranges from 5.5 to 6.5,
- additional supplement of alkalinity to the raw water to achieve the optimum coagulation pH
- high residual aluminium levels in the treated water
- fragile flocs that affect color removal in the treatment process
Water treatment by using such conventional chemicals usually require high dosage and huge amount of lime for pH adjustment. In certain cases, addition of polyelectrolyte such as polyacrylamide that can enhance floc sedimentation is required – posing health hazard as the high polyacrylamide residue can cause cancer and other detrimental illnesses.
DIACHLOR® ACH developed and commercialized by DIA-Chemical Sdn Bhd is a highly competitive and efficient super coagulant targeted for water and wastewater treatment. It is the first type of coagulant available in the market which contains high amount of polymerized aluminium chain (Al13). The highly charged Al7+13 surrounded by Cl– counterions is self-stabilized by repulsion forces, preventing association and subsequent aluminium hydroxide precipitation.
In the past, water treatment plants generally employ alum and ferric chloride as its major coagulants due to its low cost. However, such material posed a few disadvantages, such as:-
- limited coagulation pH ranges from 5.5 to 6.5,
- additional supplement of alkalinity to the raw water to achieve the optimum coagulation pH
- high residual aluminium levels in the treated water
- fragile flocs that affect color removal in the treatment process
Water treatment by using such conventional chemicals usually require high dosage and huge amount of lime for pH adjustment. In certain cases, addition of polyelectrolyte such as polyacrylamide that can enhance floc sedimentation is required – posing health hazard as the high polyacrylamide residue can cause cancer and other detrimental illnesses.
DIACHLOR® ACH developed and commercialized by DIA-Chemical Sdn Bhd is a highly competitive and efficient super coagulant targeted for water and wastewater treatment. It is the first type of coagulant available in the market which contains high amount of polymerized aluminium chain (Al13). The highly charged Al7+13 surrounded by Cl– counterions is self-stabilized by repulsion forces, preventing association and subsequent aluminium hydroxide precipitation.
Plant Trials for DIACHLOR® ACH vs. Conventional Alum
| DIACHLOR® ACH | Conventional Alum |
Optimum dosage | 3-12 mg/L | 20-30 mg/L |
Aluminium residue | Undetectable | 0.089 to 0.168 mg/L |
For reference, the quality standards for drinking water in Malaysia is set to be less than 5 NTU for turbidity, and for aluminium residue to be less than 0.2 mg/L. Our plant trial result proves that DIACHLOR® ACH requires very low dosage to produce high quality water while also minimizes the amount of chemical dosed into the raw water to produce drinking water. This further lower the risk to public health, and provides a more cost-effective option in drinking water treatment.
The development of DIACHLOR® ACH has brought to an advancement in water and wastewater treatment technology by:-
- Reducing the required dosage by 80 percent, and greatly reduce cost
- Producing less sludge by 40 percent, and greatly reduce the generation of scheduled waste
- Producing clean water with undetectable residue aluminium for better health
- Eliminating the use of cancer-causing polyelectrolyte or caustic soda usage
The use of aluminium chlorohydrate like DIACHLOR® ACH has indeed revolutionize and improve the overall operational experience and user satisfaction in water and wastewater treatment system. The product has become an essential component, especially to the country during the movement control order (MCO) between 18 March 2020 to 9 June 2020. During this period, country’s water demand increased. This causes serious instability in the quality of raw water due to high fluctuation of turbidity and pollutants. DIACHLOR® ACH was able to handle the situation, continuing to provide clean and healthy drinking water at all servicing water treatment plants.
