Flocculation
Steve from Maple City asked about a word that appeared in the Traverse
City Record-Eagle on March 24. Here is the quote containing the word.
“Raw water pulled into
the Traverse City Water Treatment Plant is so clear, in fact, officials said it
makes for an added obstacle in the processing for public consumption. ‘The
challenge is flocculation. There’s
not as much for the coagulant to bind to,’ said Jacqueline Johnson, water plant
superintendent.”
Flocculation refers to the process by which fine
particulates are encouraged to clump together into a floc, which is a
sponge-like mass. The floc is captured and removed when it floats to the top of
the liquid, settles on the bottom of the tank, or runs through a filter. This
is a standard purification process when treating sewage water.
Flocculation owes its existence to
the Latin word floccus, a tuft of
wool. Another word based on the same Latin root is floccilation, the act of a
delirious patient plucking at the bed clothes in the course of an illness. In times gone by, the
bed coverings were often made of wool, as was the mattress stuffing.
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