Effect of gas holdup on the efficiency of cyclonic-static microbubble flotation column for oily wastewater treatment

A cyclonic-static microbubble flotation column of a novel construction was used in oil-water separation fields and has high efficiency for oil-water separation. The gas holdup is a key parameter for the evaluation of the performance of a flotation column. The gas holdup, closely related to the bubble size, bubble velocity and superficial gas velocity, is one of the most important parameters characterizing the hydrodynamics of a bubble column. The effect of gas holdup in a cyclonic-static microbubble flotation column was investigated. In addition, several operating parameters such as the circulating pressure, superficial gas velocity, and frother consumption were also investigated. The gas holdup was positively correlated to the superficial gas velocity. The gas holdup of clean water and oil wastewater increased along with the increase of the frother consumption. The separation mechanism of cyclonic-static microbubble flotation column was analyzed.