New Water Research publication on algal floc properties

Nuisance and harmful algae researchers Rita Henderson and Andrea Gonzalez-Torres, together with collaborators from Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic have published a paper titled “The impact of cell morphology and algal organic matter on algal floc properties”  in the prestigious IWA journal Water Research. 

The objectives of this study were to investigate how cell morphology, AOM composition and cell charge density impact the physical floc properties of algal and cyanobacterial flocs. Five algal and cyanobacterial species, all commonly found in water reservoirs but differing in size, shape and AOM composition, were investigated. This paper demonstrates for the first time that the examination of algal floc properties can give rapid insights at the plant for trouble shooting treatment problems, particularly through the use of the in-situ techniques and provide a mechanism by which floc properties can be tailored to downstream processes.