Coagulants and flocculants are materials formulated to assist in

the solids or liquid separation of suspended particles in solution.

Such particles are characteristically very small and the

suspended stability of such particles (colloidal complex) is due to

both their small size and the electrical charge between particles.

Thus, conditioning a solution to promote the removal of

suspended particles requires chemical coagulation and/or

flocculation. A variety of flocculants and coagulants are available,

with different chemistries, molecular weights, charge ratios and

other attributes. It is critical that the appropriate flocculants and

/or coagulant be chosen to ensure cost-effective performance in

a solid/liquid separation process.

Experts said that the choice is dependent on process conditions,

including variables such as feed particle size, water chemistry,

system pH, per cent feed solids, etc. The new formulation

developed from waste material is an alternative to the readily

available flocculants/coagulants.

This technology was developed by employing used bleach earth

components as flocculants or coagulants for wastewater

treatment to remove impurities from water and down streaming

process of industrial fluids including algae. The technology works

by allowing the material to extract and utilise the metals or non-

metals from activated bleaching earth and waste-activated

bleaching earth by a chemical treatment process using acid or

alkali. The advantages of the technology are:

• This product can be safely used for biomass recovery

• It may lead to the concept of zero waste for the

treatment of industrial wastewater

• Ha multipurpose applications as it can be used for palm

oil Industry, paper mill industry and other industries to

treat their wastewater (multipurpose application)

• The final pH after flocculation/coagulation process is

about neutral as it is a neutralisation process

The invention has been protected via the lodgement of a Malaysian patent

www.platcomventures.com

The proposed business models are: (1) This product can be supplied straight to the end user; (2) It can also be licensed to an interested industrial partner that can manufacture and market it. The inventors would like to speak to companies interested in partnering.

According to BCC Research, the global market for specialty

chemicals for water treatment technology was worth USD 21.0

billion in 2008. This was expected increase to USD 27.9 billion in

2013, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%. The

market is broken down by type of chemical and includes

corrosion inhibitors, coagulants and flocculants, biocides, scale

inhibitors, pH adjustors and softeners, fluorochemicals, activated

carbon, defoaming agents and others. Corrosion inhibitors have

the largest share of the market, worth an estimated USD 4.6

billion in 2008. This segment should reach USD 6.1 billion in

2013, for a CAGR of 5.8%. Coagulants and flocculants have the

second largest market share, generating an estimated USD 4.1

billion in 2008 and increasing to USD 5.4 billion in 2013, for a

CAGR of 5.7%. There are 3 major producers of inorganic

coagulants and flocculants in Malaysia. CCM Chemicals led the

market with 33% share. Malaya Acid Works and Malay Sino are

also firms that have strengths in inorganic type of commodity

coagulants and flocculants with 25% and 17% of the market in

Malaysia. Nalco and Ciba Specialty Chemicals shares about

7%, while Kurita held 6% of the market. Nalco and Ciba focused

more on organic chemicals.

© 2014 PlaTCOM Ventures. All rights reserved.

This invention uses bleach earth

components as flocculants or

coagulants for wastewater treatment

to remove impurities from water and

down streaming processing of

industrial fluids including algae.

E: info@platcomventures.com T: +6 03-83193116

PROJECT  CODE:  P329