I. Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Aluminum Ferric Chloride

 

(A) Physical Characteristics
Polymeric aluminum ferric chloride (PAFC) presents as a brown or reddish-brown transparent liquid product without sediment. The solid form is brownish-red powder or crystal grains. Although its density is not explicitly provided, it is highly soluble in water and deliquesces in air.

(B) Chemical Characteristics
The aqueous solution of PAFC is mildly acidic. It can undergo hydrolysis reactions rapidly with weak hydration. During the hydrolysis process, physical and chemical changes such as electrochemical coagulation, adsorption, and precipitation occur simultaneously. The formed flocs are dense and have a rapid sedimentation rate. It is less affected by water temperature changes and can meet the requirements of shear force generated during the flow process.
PAFC can also engage in complexation reactions and effectively remove aluminum ions in raw water and residual free aluminum ions in water after aluminum salt coagulation. It possesses strong adsorption and bridging properties. In the water treatment process, colloidal particles in water can strongly adsorb various products that appear during hydrolysis and polymerization reactions, such as various compounds of Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ and multiple polynuclear hydroxyl complex ions.
As of now, the search results do not indicate that aluminum ferric chloride undergoes oxidation-reduction reactions. In conclusion, aluminum ferric chloride has unique physical and chemical characteristics, endowing it with broad application prospects in fields such as water treatment.

 

II. Comparison between Aluminum Ferric Chloride and Traditional Flocculants

 

(A) Performance Comparison
In comparison with traditional flocculants, PAFC exhibits significant advantages in performance. Regarding flocculation effect, the generation speed of flocs of PAFC is swift, and the sedimentation rate is rapid, along with strong treatment capacity. For instance, for domestic sewage, when the dosage of PAFC is 10mg/L, the turbidity removal rate can reach over 90%, while traditional flocculants often require a higher dosage to achieve a similar effect. In terms of stability, PAFC has excellent stability and is less influenced by water temperature changes. It can maintain good flocculation performance under different temperature conditions. However, traditional flocculants may experience unstable flocculation effects due to changes in water temperature. In terms of application range, PAFC has a wide spectrum of applications and can be used for drinking water, industrial water, domestic sewage, domestic and industrial wastewater, etc. It can coagulate within the pH range of 5.0 – 9.0, with the optimal effect achieved at pH 6.5 – 7.5. In contrast, the application range of traditional flocculants may be relatively narrow.

 

(B) Differences in Application Scenarios
In the field of water treatment, traditional flocculants such as aluminum sulfate, during usage, their hydrolyzed forms cannot form the most effective flocculation form and exert their highest efficiency due to the constraints of water quality and other conditions. In contrast, PAFC can be prefabricated under artificially controlled conditions to achieve the expected optimal effect. Once introduced into water, it can exert excellent flocculation effects of electrical neutralization and bridging. In the treatment of printing and dyeing wastewater, when the dosage of PAFC is 20mg/L, the COD removal rate can reach more than 70%, while traditional flocculants may find it difficult to achieve such an effect. In the treatment of papermaking wastewater, when the dosage of PAFC is 30mg/L, the COD removal rate can reach more than 60%. In the chemical field, traditional flocculants may have a greater corrosive effect on equipment, while PAFC has low corrosiveness and is easily soluble in powder, which is conducive to the long-term stable operation of equipment. Additionally, the dosage of PAFC flocculant is far lower than that of traditional flocculants, and its purification effect is better than other flocculants, saving costs by 10 – 20%.

 

III. Advantages of Aluminum Ferric Chloride

 

(A) High-Efficiency Flocculation Performance
Polymeric aluminum ferric chloride demonstrates outstanding high efficiency in the flocculation process. It has a fast hydrolysis speed and can form dense flocs in a short time. Experiments show that in the coagulation stage, when the liquid medicine is injected into the coagulation tank and quickly coagulates with the raw water, fine flocs can be formed in an extremely short time. In this process, it is required that the water flow can generate intense turbulence. In the beaker experiment, it is advisable to stir quickly (250 – 300 revolutions/minute) for 10 – 30 seconds, generally not exceeding 2 minutes. In the flocculation stage, the flocs grow and become thicker. Appropriate turbulence and sufficient residence time (10 – 15 minutes) allow a large number of flocs to gather and slowly sink, forming a clear surface layer. Compared with traditional flocculants, PAFC forms larger flocs and has a faster sedimentation rate, greatly enhancing the efficiency of water treatment.

 

(B) Wide Applicability
Polymeric aluminum ferric chloride has extensive applicability. It is suitable for water treatment of different water qualities. Whether it is drinking water, industrial water, domestic sewage, or industrial wastewater, it can exert obvious purification effects. It has strong adaptability to changes in turbidity, alkalinity, and organic matter content. Particularly in the treatment of high turbidity water and low turbidity water at low temperatures, the effect is particularly prominent. For example, without adding alkaline additives or other coagulant aids, the purification treatment effect on high turbidity water and low turbidity water at low temperatures is particularly evident, being superior to alum, polymeric aluminum chloride, polymeric ferric sulfate, and ferric trioxide. In water treatment in different industries, such as in the treatment of printing and dyeing wastewater, when the dosage is 20mg/L, the COD removal rate can reach more than 70%; in the treatment of papermaking wastewater, when the dosage is 30mg/L, the COD removal rate can reach more than 60%.

 

(C) Environmental Friendliness
Polymeric aluminum ferric chloride has minimal impact on the environment and is environmentally friendly. Compared with traditional flocculants, it has low residual free aluminum content, and the purified water quality meets national standards. The quality indicators of the product, especially heavy metal indicators, all comply with the GB15892 – 2003 standard requirements, reducing the potential harm to the environment. At the same time, it consumes less alkalinity in water, and the reduction of effluent pH value is small, and it will not have a greater impact on the acidity and alkalinity of the water body. Moreover, it has low corrosiveness and is easily soluble in powder, causing less damage to equipment and the environment during use and storage.

 

(D) Cost-Benefit Advantage
In terms of cost, polymeric aluminum ferric chloride has distinct advantages. Firstly, its raw materials are widely available and can be prepared from various industrial waste residues such as aluminum chloride and ferric chloride, with relatively low cost. Secondly, the dosage of flocculant is far lower than that of traditional flocculants. With a small dosage, it can achieve good treatment effects and save 10 – 20% of costs compared with other coagulants. In terms of preparation process, although it requires certain technology and equipment investment, with the continuous maturity of technology and large-scale production, the cost is expected to be further reduced. In addition, its high-efficiency flocculation performance reduces energy consumption and time cost in the water treatment process, improving the cost-effectiveness as a whole.

 

IV. Comprehensive Evaluation and Outlook

 

(A) Comprehensive Evaluation
As a new type of inorganic polymer flocculant, polymeric aluminum ferric chloride (PAFC) shows extremely high value in water treatment and related fields by virtue of its unique physical and chemical characteristics, significant performance advantages, and wide applicability.
From the perspective of physical characteristics, its appearance is easily recognizable, and its characteristics of being easily soluble in water and deliquescent in air make it have certain convenience in storage and use. From the aspect of chemical characteristics, its fast hydrolysis speed, weak hydration, and strong complexation reaction ability enable it to efficiently remove pollutants in water, form dense flocs, and achieve rapid sedimentation.
Compared with traditional flocculants, PAFC has obvious advantages in performance, application scenarios, and cost-effectiveness. In terms of performance, it has higher flocculation efficiency, better stability, and a wider application range; in terms of application scenarios, it can play an excellent role in water treatment of different water qualities and industries; in terms of cost-effectiveness, not only does it have a wide range of raw materials to reduce costs, but also it has a small dosage and saves costs. At the same time, it also improves treatment efficiency and reduces energy consumption and time cost.
In addition, the environmental friendliness of PAFC is also one of its important advantages. Low residual free aluminum content, quality indicators that meet national standards, and a small impact on water alkalinity and pH value all make it have greater development potential in today’s increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements.

 

(B) Development Prospect Outlook
With the increasing shortage of global water resources and the aggravation of water pollution problems, the demand for efficient water treatment agents will continue to grow. With its characteristics and advantages, polymeric aluminum ferric chloride has broad application prospects in water treatment and related fields in the future.
In the field of water treatment, with the continuous progress of technology and the continuous improvement of people’s requirements for water quality, the performance of PAFC is expected to be further optimized. For example, through the research and development of new preparation processes and technologies, improve its flocculation efficiency and stability, and reduce production costs; develop special-purpose PAFC for specific water qualities and pollutants to improve treatment effects and pertinence.
In other related fields, such as industrial wastewater treatment, urban sewage treatment, and drinking water purification, PAFC will also play an increasingly important role. With the acceleration of urbanization and the development of industry, the demand for water treatment agents will continue to increase. As an efficient, environmentally friendly, and economical flocculant, PAFC will have more application opportunities.
In addition, with the continuous improvement of environmental protection awareness and policy support, the demand for environmentally friendly water treatment agents will become greater and greater. PAFC exactly conforms to this development trend and is expected to be more widely used and promoted in the future.
In short, as a new type of flocculant with excellent performance and wide applicability, polymeric aluminum ferric chloride has a very broad development prospect in the future. It is worthy of further research and promotion to make greater contributions to solving global water resource problems and environmental protection.
Scroll to Top