What is the process called that involves the clumping of fine colloidal particles in water?

The process that involves the clumping of fine colloidal particles in water is known as coagulation. During coagulation, certain chemicals, often referred to as coagulants, are added to water to destabilize the colloidal particles, allowing them to aggregate or clump together. This is typically a preliminary step in water treatment processes, assisting in the removal of impurities by making them larger and easier to filter out.

Coagulation is essential because colloidal particles are often too small to settle out of the water on their own. By inducing agglomeration, coagulation enhances subsequent processes such as flocculation, where these clumps can grow even larger before separation. It is a fundamental step in producing clean water, particularly in municipal water treatment systems.

Other terms, such as flocculation, although related, refer to the aggregation process that follows coagulation, where larger aggregates are encouraged to form from the smaller clusters created during coagulation. Filtration and decantation are processes that follow coagulation and flocculation in the water treatment cycle, used to physically separate combined particles from the treated water.