Preparation of a Novel Coal Gangue–Polyacrylamide Hybrid Flocculant and Its Flocculation Performance

A novel flocculant based on hybrid coal gangue–polyacrylamide (HCGPAM) has been prepared by using modified coal gangue and polyacrylamide. Factors related to the preparation such as reaction time, temperature, concentration of the polymer monomer and ratio of initiators are investigated. The product is characterized by infrared spectra (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as viscometry. The flocculating tests on oilfield drilling wastewater show that the removal efficiency is 85.5% and the light transmittance is 53.6%. The results indicate that the coal gangue could be used for the preparation of inorganic–organic hybrid flocculant and the removal efficiency is much higher than that of commercial polyacrylamide (PAM) or PAM/coal gangue blend.

It is obvious that HCGPAM (b) gave a very different surface morphology from modified coal gangue (a). The surface of the HCGPAM consisted of certain sorts of cauliflower head with a series of pleated ditches of different widths and depths, which caused its surface to become coarser and larger significantly than that of modified coal gangue. It can be inferred that HCGPAM is favorable to combine with pollutants strongly.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide