Sedimentation vs. Decantation

The separation of a suspension of solid particles into a concentrated slurry and a supernatant liquid, either to concentrate the solid or to clarify the liquid.

The act of depositing a sediment; specifically (Geol.), the deposition of the material of which sedimentary rocks are formed.

the phenomenon of sediment or gravel accumulating

the process of settling or being deposited as a sediment

Example: ‘the natural sedimentation of the estuary’; ‘sedimentation occurs when the droplets sink to the bottom’;

Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration, or electromagnetism.

the act of decanting the supernatant liquid from a solid sediment

The act of pouring off a clear liquor gently from its lees or sediment, or from one vessel into another.

Decantation is a process for the separation of mixtures of immiscible liquids or of a liquid and a solid mixture such as a suspension. The layer closer to the top of the container—the less dense of the two liquids, or the liquid from which the precipitate or sediment has settled out—is poured off, leaving the other component or the more dense liquid of the mixture behind.