Flocculation of a High-Turbidity Kaolin Suspension Using Hydrophobic Modified Quaternary Ammonium Salt Polyacrylamide

In this work, a novel cationic polyacrylamide (PAMD) was synthesized by acrylamide (AM) diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DMD) and dodecyl polyglucoside (DPL) under low-pressure ultraviolet (UV) initiation. The intrinsic viscosity and cationic degree of PAMD were optimized in copolymerization. The optimum synthesis conditions that affect polymerization were determined to be solid content 30%, DPL content 25%, DMD content 30%, illumination time 135 min, and pH 9. The flocculation performance of flocculant PAMD with a high cationic degree was investigated in the purification of high-turbidity water. The flocculation mechanism was correspondingly studied and summarized based on Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) analysis. Finally, the results of an experimental simulation using the response surface method show that 98.9% supernatant transmittance was achieved under dosage 4 mg/L, fast stirring time 20 min, pH 7, and stirring speed 320 rpm.