Enhanced flocculation activity of polyacrylamide‐based flocculant for purification of industrial wastewater

Abstract

The flocculation activity of commercially available anionic poly (acrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid), p (AAm‐co‐AA) has been significantly improved, without any inorganic coagulant aid. The effect of three types of surfactants, anionic sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) (Palm Epimen), nonionic cocamide DEA, zwitterionic amphoteric Amphotensid B5, and one organic cation, trimethylammonium bromide (TAB) on coagulation/flocculation performance have been investigated. The performance has been analysed in terms of turbidity, total suspended solid (TSS), total iron (TI) content, and BTEX for treating two kinds of industrial wastewater, produced water (PW) and starch water. We have shown that adding a small amount of each of the studied surfactants, and especially cationic TAB, significantly increases the coagulation/flocculation performance without modifying pH levels. A combination of low dosage of flocculant (310 ppb) and TAB (310 ppb), after 5 minutes, presented 88%, 81%, and 62% reduction in turbidity, TSS, and TI content, respectively, whereas by using 5 ppm of flocculant alone (16 times more), only 76%, 75%, and 43% removal was obtained. The results reveal that TAB performs as an efficient coagulant booster. Compared with regular inorganic coagulants, it is more cost‐effective, reduces the consumption of treatment chemicals, and the pH‐dependency of contaminants removal.

Preparation of super high concentration cationic polyacrylamide emulsion and its flocculation with cationic polymers

“…Compared with single polymer, multi‐component polymer composite flocculant has significant advantages. When two kinds of polymer flocculants are combined, one polymer adsorbs on the other polymer, which can provide more adsorption positions and enlarge the adsorption space range through the “steric hindrance effect.” 1 The flocculant composed of different organic polymers has become a research hotspot in polymer flocculant industry 2,3 …”

The New Approach to the Preparation of Polyacrylamide-Based Hydrogels: Initiation of Polymerization of Acrylamide with 1,3-Dimethylimidazolium (Phosphonooxy-)Oligosulphanide under Drying Aqueous Solutions

“…Linear and crosslinked polyacrylamide, as well as acrylamide copolymers, are of significant applied interest and are used in water treatment [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ], stabilization of nanoparticles [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], electrophoresis-induced separation and purification of substances [ 10 ], and adsorption removal of Pb 2+ ions from aqueous solutions [ 11 ]. The biocompatibility and hydrophilicity of polyacrylamide have ensured its wide application in biomedical fields [ 12 ], including in systems of pharmacologically active substance delivery [ 13 ] and the binding of toxins [ 14 ].…”

Water-Soluble Branched Polyacrylamides Prepared by UV-Initiated Polymerization Using a Novel Kind of Water-Soluble Macromolecular Photoinitiator

“…1−3 Generally, PAMs can be tailormade by controlling the molar mass, chemical composition, as well as the type and ratio of the functional groups attached to the polymer backbone. 4,5 For example, high molar mass PAMs are one of the most commonly used organic flocculants, which play important and indispensable roles for the treatment and purification of wastewater with high efficiency and environmental friendliness. 6 However, the inherent deficiencies originating from the linear molecular structure, such as low dissolution rate, and limited shear resistance are still unavoidable.…”

“…Water-soluble polymers have played important and irreplaceable roles in various fields of industrial production and scientific research due to their diverse chemical composition and outstanding properties. As one of the most important types of water-soluble polymers, polyacrylamides (PAMs) have been widely and intensively utilized in the fields of wastewater treatment, papermaking, oil drilling, and textiles because of their good water solubility, high viscosity, and remarkable flocculation performance. − Generally, PAMs can be tailormade by controlling the molar mass, chemical composition, as well as the type and ratio of the functional groups attached to the polymer backbone. , For example, high molar mass PAMs are one of the most commonly used organic flocculants, which play important and indispensable roles for the treatment and purification of wastewater with high efficiency and environmental friendliness . However, the inherent deficiencies originating from the linear molecular structure, such as low dissolution rate, and limited shear resistance are still unavoidable. − …”