Why is polyacrylamide used in water treatment?

With the increasing global water scarcity and escalating environmental pollution, efficient water treatment has become paramount. Polyacrylamide, as a versatile polymer compound, has demonstrated significant achievements in the field of water treatment. PAM is widely used as a coagulant and flocculant in wastewater treatment.

When did polyacrylamide become a drinking water treatment chemical?

Polyacrylamide, acrylic acid polymers and copolymers were endorsed by the NHMRC as drinking water treatment chemicals in 1977 and 1979. The revision undertaken in 2003 did not result in any change to the status of this chemical for the treatment of drinking water.

What is polyacrylamide used for?

In drinking water treatment, polyacrylamide may be added: to sludge for thickening or dewatering, to improve performance. As a coagulation, flocculation or clarification aid, polyacrylamide is typically used at concentrations of 0.05–0.3 mg/L. As a filter aid, it is usually applied in lower doses (0.01–0.1 mg/L).

How is partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide wastewater treated?

Yongrui, P., et al. Treatment of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide wastewater by combined Fenton oxidation and anaerobic biological processes. Chem. Eng. J. 273, 1–6 (2015).

Does biological filtration improve polyacrylamide biodegradation?

Freedman, D. E. et al. Biologically active filtration for fracturing flowback and produced water treatment. J. Water Process Eng. 18, 29–40 (2017). Dai, X. et al. Waste-activated sludge fermentation for polyacrylamide biodegradation improved by anaerobic hydrolysis and key microorganisms involved in biological polyacrylamide removal.

What is high molecular weight polyacrylamide (PAM)?

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative High molecular weight (106–3 × 107 Da) polyacrylamide (PAM) is commonly used as a flocculant in water and wastewater treatment, as a soil conditioner, and as a viscosity modifier and friction reducer in both enhanced oil recovery and high volume hydraulic fracturing.