Utilizing the concept of coagulation in conjunction with the sediment enhancement by microcarrier, the microcarrier process has been demonstrated in a laboratory investigation as an effective and economic operation in removing colloidal particles in an aquatic system. The microcarrier, an inert aluminum silicate particulate (Ottawa Sand) of 53 to 75 micrometers in diameter was used in this study. The interaction between the flocs and the microcarriers plays an important role in the mixing process. The principal objective of this study is to examine the structural interaction between the flocs and the microcarrier.

The study was designed into two stages, the prescreening stage and the observation under the ESEM stage. In the first stage, a series ofjar test using microcarrier along with electrolyte and polyelectrolyte were carried out in which the turbidity was the control parameter. On the second stage, the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) was used to investigate the structural relationship between the microcarrier and flocs. The visual structural information was achieved under this microscope technique. A 99.6% of turbidity removal could be achieved by the microcarrier process.