ABSTRACT
Physicochemical microhydrodynamics has strongly established its presence in the realm of academic disciplines, without which the study of kinetic properties of disperse systems would hardly be possible. Exactly 100 years ago Albert Einstein derived his famous expression of diffusion coefficient for Brownian particles based on equations of medium movement. Flocculation is one of the most widespread technological processes, enabling separation of large volumes of suspensions. Every year millions of tons of water-soluble polymers are produced in the world; their only purpose consists in bonding of particles, suspended in water, into large dense aggregates in order to accelerate and reduce the price of further separation from water by sedimentation, filtration, or flotation. Based on modern concepts of colloid microhydrodynamics, it is easy to prove that further flocs growth and formation of their equilibrium distribution by size occurs mostly due to the capture of small flocs by larger ones, and fragmentation of the latter after they reach the critical size.
