Coagulant/flocculant polymers application

The models of irreversible aggregation have come into use in physics recently. These models were developed for the description of such practically important processes as flocculation, coagulation, polymerisation, etc., [1]. Many examples of the successful application of these models for the description of a number of the real processes have been obtained [2-8]. Therefore the use of the same models for the description of the polymerisation processes, in particular, curing of crosslinked polymers is of undoubted interest. It should be noted that the application of the percolation and some other models for the decision of this problem has not given the expected result [9]. 

Polymers normally used as coagulant aids or flocculation aids , where the main purpose is to strengthen and increase the size of floes and improve particle capture after coagulation has taken place, are the polyacrylamides of non-ionic, or low to medium cationic or anionic charge. The latter type of polymer also finds application in the dewatering of the sludges produced from clarification treatment of potable water [50]. 

Hence, the results stated in the present section demonstrated the applicability of synergetics concepts for description of the structure of crosslinked polymers. The formation of floccules in crosslinked polymers can be considered as the formation of microgels, which at transition to the condensed state are coagulated , increasing their density by virtue of the condition d > d, typical only for crosslinked polymers. For linear polymers a swollen macromolecular coil corresponds to the condition... 

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