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DAF vs lamella clarifier: floating or settling?
How to choose between dissolved air flotation and lamella settling for primary treatment of industrial wastewater.
Both remove suspended solids after chemical conditioning, and both are compact. The choice comes down to one question: are your contaminants lighter or heavier than water?
The rule of thumb
- Choose DAF when the load is oil, grease, fats, fibres or light flocs — anything that wants to float or settles slowly.
- Choose a lamella clarifier when solids are dense and settle readily — metal hydroxides, sand, mineral particles.
| Dissolved air flotation (DAF) | Lamella clarifier | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Oil, FOG, light solids, algae | Heavy, mineral and metal solids |
| Sludge | Thick float, easier dewatering | Wetter settled sludge |
| Response to shock loads | Fast; handles variability well | Slower to recover |
| Energy | Air saturation and recycle pump | Very low |
| Moving parts | Skimmer, recycle pump, compressor | Almost none |
| Typical industries | Food, dairy, oil & gas, textile | Metal finishing, mining, some chemical |
Don't forget the chemistry
Neither unit performs without the right coagulant, pH and polymer. Jar tests on your effluent tell us which unit separates the flocs best and at what chemical dose, so we test both routes when the answer is not obvious.
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