Jar testing is a pilot-scale test of the treatment chemicals used in a particular water plant.
It simulates the coagulation/flocculation process in a water treatment plant, helping the operator in the determination of the right amount of treatment chemicals, and, thus, in improving the plant’s performance.
Jar testing entails adjusting the amount of chemicals and their sequence in which they are added. The sample requires to be stirred so that the formation, development, and settlement of floc can be watched just as it would be in the fullscale treatment plant.
The operator then performs a series of tests to compare the effects of different amounts of flocculation agents at different pH values to determine the right size floc.