Flocculants, cationic Fractionation

Now, when these two species are added to each other, in a given relative concentration, a new species appears with a much narrower size distribution. This is shown in Figure 10.18, where the P-index (a measure of the polydispersity) is plotted against the molar fraction of DDAB. The P-index drops from the initial value of 0.20 (a very broad distribution) to 0.04, a very narrow distribution (stable for months), at a relative percent of 0.4 DDAB to 0.6 oleate (Thomas and Luisi, 2004). Between DDAB molar fractions of 0.41 and 0.60, flocculation occurs, which indicates a thermodynamic instability, in agreement with other cationic systems (Kaler etal., 1989 Marques etal., 1998 Kondo etal, 1995). 

Not only are accurate data for trace metals in rivers sparse, there are complications that exist at the river-sea interface. The increase in salinity occurring at the river-sea water interface, with its concomitant increase in the concentrations of the major seawater cations, can lead to flocculation and sedimentation of trace metals such as iron (Boyle et al., 1978 Sholkovitz and Copeland, 1983) or to desorption from suspended riverine particles of trace metals such as barium (Edmond et al., 1978). In organic-rich rivers a major fraction of dissolved trace metals can exist in physiochemical association with colloidal humic acids. Sholkovitz and Copeland (1983) used product-mode mixing experiments on filtered Scottish river water, and observed that iron removal was almost complete due to the flocculation of strongly associated iron-humic acid colloids in the presence of the increased... 

Pulkkinen E, Peltonen S 1978 Cationic flocculant from a phenolic acid fraction of conifer tree bark. Tappi 61(5) 97-100... 

---