Study of a Novel Honeycomb Continuous Flocculator

Abstract

The continuous flocculator described in this article refers to a kind of continuous flocculation device designed to flocculate fermentation liquid. The honeycomb continuous flocculator is composed of a vessel and built-in trapezoid subassemblies, which divide the space within the vessel into multiple honeycomb channels. The length ratio between the longest diagonal of the regular hexagon and the axial length of the channel is within the range 0.01–0.04; and the internal surface roughness (Ra) of the channels should be 0 < Ra ≤ 0.2 μm. In contrast to current flocculator designs, the channels of the honeycomb continuous flocculator could control the floc grain size, grain fineness distribution in the fermentation liquid and flocculating time and decrease the flow resistance of the flocculating fermentation liquid and increase handling capacity. These capabilities improve solid-liquid separation efficiency for fermentation liquids. The flocculator could be used either for purification of industrial fermentation liquids or sewage treatment.