Apparatus for continuous purification of liquids

Apparatus for clarifying waste liquid with a dissolved gas flotation process, comprising:

• a flotation cell, said flotation cell having a substantially horizontal bottom and a substantially cylindrical wall extending vertically from said bottom, said flotation cell defining a liquid-holding space for containing the waste liquid, said space being delimited by said bottom and said wall of said flotation cell, said space having an upper substantially planar surface, said space having a height extending from said bottom of said flotation cell to said upper planar surface, said height of said space being less than one meter, said space having a diameter, said height of said space being comprised between 25 and 5 percent of said diameter of said space;
• means for supersaturating the liquid to be clarified with a gas;
• means for feeding the liquid to be clarified which has been supersaturated with gas into said flotation cell;
• means for collecting solid particles at said planar surface of said space defined by said flotation cell, said means for collecting solid particles being concentrically rotatably mounted with respect to said flotation cell;
• means for removing clarified liquid from said bottom of said flotation cell;
• wherein
• said means for feeding the liquid into said flotation cell comprise an inlet arranged on the bottom of said flotation cell and substantially axially thereto, said inlet opening directly into said liquid-holding space from said bottom so as to generate an axial ascending current of the liquid to be clarified directly into said space and directly from the bottom of the flotation cell, said apparatus further comprising a deflector body means arranged axial inside said flotation cell for generating a radial divarication current at the upper surface of said liquid-holding space, said deflector body means having a closed bottom facing said inlet, said deflector body means having a width which is less than half the diameter of said liquid-holding space of said flotation cell.