What is polyacrylamide (PAM)?

Polyacrylamide (PAM) Polyacrylamide (PAM) is a widely used synthetic water-soluble acrylic polymer. PAM is a very effective flocculant and viscosity enhancer, which e.g. is used for removing heavy metals in wastewater and reducing soil retention.

Is polyacrylamide a toxic polymer?

Even though polyacrylamide is the most common synthetic water-soluble plastic, it is still highly overrepresented. The polyacrylamide monomer (acrylamide) is neurotoxic and carcinogenic (Smith and Oehme, 1991), so this class of polymers has been of high concern for a long period of time.

Can acrylamide form during biodegradation of polyacrylamide?

Acrylamide can form during biodegradation of polyacrylamide (Cheng et al., 2024). In a Swedish tunneling project, acrylamide exposure resulted in negative health effects for the construction workers and affected the water quality in the surrounding environment (Weideborg et al., 2001).

Are natural polymers a good alternative to water soluble polymers?

Natural polymers typically also have a lower climate impact and lower toxicity. Many water-soluble polymers are used in important applications, such as pharmacy and waste-water cleaning, where they are useful and valuable. In other applications, such as dish washer tablets, they could however be easily omitted without negative impact.

Does polyacrylamide bioaccumulate?

PAM does not seem to bio-accumulate significantly, and normally degrades gradually into polyacrylic acid and ammonia in the soil (Wang et al., 2023). The monomer of polyacrylamide, i.e., acrylamide, is however neurotoxic and carcinogenic (Smith and Oehme, 1991; Shipp et al., 2006; Friedman, 2003).

What are biodegradable polymers?

This is especially important to consider for biodegradable polymers, i.e. those that are designed to degrade more rapidly than others, by e.g. microorganisms (Zumstein et al., 2022). This is illustrated in this article with a section on biodegradable polyesters.