Cationic flocculants Additives

Figure 13. Electrophoretic mobility (Fen Kem 3000) of the emulsion from Figure 12 after cationic polymer addition (A). The cationic polymer has neutralized the oil droplet surface charge and electrostatically destabilized the emulsion. The photomicrograph (B) shows this destabilized emulsion that has begun to flocculate or a lomerate but that is not coalescing. This electrostatic destabilization is not the only factor affecting emulsion stability. Factors such as interfacial tension and film strength can prevent coalescence of the emulsion droplets, even though they can now closely approach each other and ag omer-...

Flocculation of oily agglomerates together by addition of a cationic flocculant or by contact on a granular mass. 

Starch is a polysaccharide found in many plant species. Com and potatoes are two common sources of industrial starch. The composition of starch varies somewhat in terms of the amount of branching of the polymer chains (11). Its principal use as a flocculant is in the Bayer process for extracting aluminum from bauxite ore. The digestion of bauxite in sodium hydroxide solution produces a suspension of finely divided iron minerals and siUcates, called red mud, in a highly alkaline Hquor. Starch is used to settle the red mud so that relatively pure alumina can be produced from the clarified Hquor. It has been largely replaced by acryHc acid and acrylamide-based (11,12) polymers, although a number of plants stiH add some starch in addition to synthetic polymers to reduce the level of residual suspended soHds in the Hquor. Starch [9005-25-8] can be modified with various reagents to produce semisynthetic polymers. The principal one of these is cationic starch, which is used as a retention aid in paper production as a component of a dual system (13,14) or a microparticle system (15). 

In the area of municipal and iadustrial wastewater treatment, the principal environmental issue is the toxicity of residual flocculating agents ia the effluent. Laboratory studies have shown that cationic polymers are toxic to fish because of the iateraction of these polymers with giU. membranes. Nonionic and anionic polymers show no toxicity (82,83). Other studies have shown that ia natural systems the suspended inorganic matter and humic substances substantially reduce the toxicity of added cationic polymer, and the polymers have been used successfully ia fish hatcheries (84—86). Based on these results, the EPA has added a protocol for testing these polymers for toxicity toward fish ia the presence of humic acids (87). The addition of anionic polymers to effluent streams containing cationic polymers to reduce their toxicity has been mentioned ia the patent Hterature (83). 

Low molecular cationic polymers or alum can also be used to flocculate pitch, ie, bind up the pitch so that it is retained in the sheet, to minimize pitch deposition on machine surfaces and fabrics (35,36). Alum is used commonly in newsprint operations (34). The addition of a nonionic surfactant with a hydrocarbon solvent to the wet end has shown some utility in preventing deposits of adhesive recycled furnish contaminants from forming on the paper... 

CE has been used for the analysis of anionic surfactants [946,947] and can be considered as complementary to HPLC for the analysis of cationic surfactants with advantages of minimal solvent consumption, higher efficiency, easy cleaning and inexpensive replacement of columns and the ability of fast method development by changing the electrolyte composition. Also the separation of polystyrene sulfonates with polymeric additives by CE has been reported [948]. Moreover, CE has also been used for the analysis of polymeric water treatment additives, such as acrylic acid copolymer flocculants, phosphonates, low-MW acids and inorganic anions. The technique provides for analyst time-savings and has lower detection limits and improved quantification for determination of anionic polymers, compared to HPLC. 

It is worth noting that the specific resistances obtained by flocculation with cationic polymers are much less than those achieved by simple salts. For instance, when the kaolin suspension is completely destabilized by the addition of a calcium salt, the specific resistance is only reduced by a factor of about two. A ten-fold reduction can easily be achieved by cationic polymers. 

Cationic starch in a paper mill furnish can have additional benefits beyond ash retention and strength. Properly added cationic starch can improve formation in a sheet. With an even distribution of fibers, the natural attraction of water for ionized anionic groups can be counteracted by the addition of cationic counter ions in the form of cationic starch. The flocculation effect that occurs produces much improved drainage on the paper machine. The result is increased speed on the machine yielding greater production rates and overall efficiency. To a paper mill, increased production means increased profitability. 

From a pharmaceutical perspective, phospholipids-stabilized emulsions are remarkable. For example, they are relatively stable, with shelf lives of 18 months to 2 years being obtained after the initial heat sterilization. They resist the increased shear rates as the bottles are transported from producer to user and they can tolerate the addition of a wide variety of monovalent electrolytes for at least short periods prior to administration. However, they cannot resist freezing and changes in droplet size following exposure to freeze-thaw cycles can be used as a measure of the stability of the emulsion system. Most injectable emulsions are sensitive to multivalent cations such as calcium or magnesium salts, which rapidly flocculate the phospholipids-stabilized systems. 

As an irreversible flocculation occurred with a drop-wise approach for both cationic and anionic PEC particles when the mixing ratio was close to unity, a more versatile and simpler method was found to be the one-shot addition of one solution to the other. Characterisation of particles obtained via this path revealed very similar properties to those obtained by a slow drop-wise approach [155]. 

Combinations of cationic starch and anionic microparticles are useful commercial systems. Shear-sensitive flocculation occurs, allowing microscale reflocculation in the formed paper sheet, which improves dewatering and retention.63,75,76 The microparticles can be colloidal silica, aluminum silicate, poly(silicic acid) or bentonite of specific size and surface area.77 79 Cationic, anionic or polymeric aluminum-containing compounds can be additional components. A three-part coacervate system uses a high molecular weight anionic polyacrylamide, cationic starch and silica.80 Cooking cationic starch in the presence of an anionic silica hydrosol was reported to improve drainage and retention.81... 

---