List of chemicals typically used for treating turbidity table
Link to this table
Chemical Type | Chemical Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Polymers | Chitosan | Made from chitin. Rapidly binds to suspended sediment. Unlikely to adversely affect aquatic life. |
Anionic Polyacrylamide (PAM) | Synthetic polymer; includes a wide variety of chemicals based on acrylamide unit. Ensure that the product selected is anionic -- cationic products are toxic to aquatic environments. Flocculate should be removed via filtration or sedimentation. | |
Other additives | Diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride (DADMAC) | Positively charged monomer that binds negatively charged sediment particles into flocs. Can exhibit a strong aquatic toxicity. |
Gypsum | Naturally and widely occurring mineral made up of calcium sulfate and water. | |
Alum1 | Aluminum sulfate material widely used in water treatment industry. Often more efficient than gypsum but can acidify treated water if overdosed. | |
Aluminum and iron chlorides1 | Cations that bridge negatively charged sediment particles, causing them to coagulate and settle. |
1Alum and aluminum and iron chlorides are also frequently used in Minnesota to coagulate soluble phosphorus out of stormwater and water bodies.