Polyacrylamide (PAM) is a widely used water-soluble polymer. The use of PAM is very common in various fields such as water treatment, soil stabilization, oil field development, etc. However, when PAM enters the water body, it creates a series of problems, such as water pollution and harm to aquatic life. Therefore, the removal of PAM from the water becomes critical.
Before discussing how to remove polyacrylamide, let's first understand some of the properties of PAM. PAM is a polymer with a large number of hydrophilic groups in its molecular structure, which makes it have good water solubility. In addition, the charged groups on the pam molecular chain also give it a certain charge property. These properties determine the behavior of the PAM in water and the method of removal.
At present, the common polyacrylamide removal methods mainly include physical methods and chemical methods. Let's go through each of them below.
The physical method is to remove PAM from water through a physical process. Commonly used physical methods include precipitation, filtration, and ultrafiltration.
1.Precipitation: PAM exists in the form of micelles and sols in water, and PAM can be removed by adding a precipitant to promote PAM to bind to it to form a precipitate.
The chemical method is to remove PAM from water through a chemical reaction. Commonly used chemical methods include oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, complexation, etc.
1.Oxidation: Oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide, ozone, etc., can be used to oxidize the PAM molecular chain and reduce its molecular weight, making it easy to precipitate or filter.
According to different water bodies and PAM content, the appropriate method is selected for removal. In practice, it is often used in combination with multiple methods. For example, the majority of the PAM can be removed by physical methods such as precipitation and filtration, and then further degradation and removal of residual PAM can be used using chemical methods.
In summary, removing polyacrylamide from water is a challenging task. According to the characteristics of PAM, we can use physical and chemical methods to achieve the purpose of removal. At the same time, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the advantages and disadvantages of multiple methods in practical application, and select the appropriate method according to the specific situation.