Decantation and sedimentation are not interchangeable terms.
The process of heavier components in a mixture sinking is referred to as sedimentation.
Consider the following example: Sand settles to the bottom of a sand-in-water mixture if it is left undisturbed for a long time.
Decantation is the process of separating a mixture’s liquid component from its heavier component, which settles to the bottom as sediments.
To put it another way, it’s the process of transporting a liquid from one container to another while leaving the sediments at the bottom undisturbed.
When a mixture of sand and water is allowed to sit, for example, sand settles at the bottom of the container due to its weight.
The container’s upper section contains water.
This can be easily separated from the sand at the bottom by putting it into a new container without the use of any further separating devices.
Decantation is the term for this process.
Final answer:
Hence, Sedimentation is described as the process of heavier components in a mixture sinking down. For example, when a sand-in-water mixture is left undisturbed for a period of time, sand settles to the bottom.
In contrast, Decantation is the separation of the liquid element of a mixture from the heavier component, which settles to the bottom as sediments. For example, because sand is heavier, it settles at the bottom of a container when a mixture of sand and water is allowed to stand.