Polyferric sulfate (PFS) has become a focus of many studies involving coagu
lation since the 1980s because of its many advantages over traditional coag
ulants. Many studies have been carried out on the applications of PFS but v
ery few are concerned with its preparation acid characterization. In this s
tudy an easy and reliable method for characterizing the composition of PFS
was developed. The optimum conditions for PFS preparation from the waste ac
ids were also explored. Results indicated that the viscosity of the product
was affected by the percentage of sulfuric acid and the temperature of the
reaction. The r value derived from a formation function was used to evalua
te the quality of PFS prepared from waste acids. It was proven that the ORP
electrode was an excellent tool for monitoring the extent of ferrous sulfa
te oxidation. The polynucleic characteristic of the PFS was confirmed by th
e chromatography. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.