Novel Flocculants for the Natural Water Clearing Consisting Triblock Copolymers with Poly(Ethylene Oxide) and Polyacrylamide

Abstract

New high-effective flocculants containing triblock copolymers PAA-b-PEO-b-PAA (TBC) based on chemically-complementary polyacrylamide (PAA) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with the different block lengths are synthesized, characterized, tested and patented in Ukraine. Given TBCs, which are obtained by free radical block copolymerization of acrylamide with poly(ethylene glycols) of different molecular weight, are intramolecular polycomplexes (IntraPCs) with a strong interacting polymer components. It was revealed that the block copolymerization process has a matrix character because non-covalent interactions of growing PAA chains with PEO. High flocculate ability of TBC in clearing of kaolin suspensions and natural water was established.

Keywords:

• flocculant
• intramolecular polycomplex
• polyacrylamide
• poly(ethylene oxide)
• triblock copolymer

Notes

^a Induction period.

^b Conversion rate of block copolymerization at conversion degree of AA 20%.

^c Conversion rate of block copolymerization at conversion degree of AA 40%.

^d Conversion rate of block copolymerization at conversion degree of AA 60%.

^e Monomer conversion in 420 min after beginning of polymerization.

^a Wt. ratio of PEO in copolymers.

^a The relative velocity of the fast stage of precipitation.

^b Induction period.

^c The volume of precipitate formed in 1 min counted from the beginning of a precipitation process.

^d The optical density of supernatant after a 20 min from the beginning of a precipitation process (λ = 540 nm).

^a Dose of chlorine 1.5 · 10⁻³ kg · m⁻³