Organo-modified cationic silica nanoparticles/anionic polymer as flocculants

The synthesis of quaternized silica nanoparticles and its application to fine clay flocculation were investigated. N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride was used as a cationic reagent to introduce quaternary amine groups onto the surfaces of silica nanoparticles via the formation of covalent bonds between the methoxy groups of the cationic reagents and the silanol groups in the silica surface. The zeta potential, zeta, and charge density of the silica particles modified under various reaction conditions were determined. Dynamic clay flocculation experiments using a photometric dispersion analyzer (PDA) showed that the cationic silica alone contributed little to the flocculation. However, the cationic silica, in conjunction with an anionic polymer of high M(w) and low charge density, led to a significant improvement in the flocculation of fine clay particles. The mechanism of flocculation was explored by a systematic investigation of interaction between cationic silica and anionic polymers as well as of their adsorption behavior on clay surfaces. The influence of factors such as pH and electrolyte concentration on clay flocculation was also investigated.     

Supramolecular Proteoglycan Aggregate Mimics: Cyclodextrin‐Assisted Biodegradable Polymer Assemblies for Electrostatic‐Driven Drug Delivery

Self‐assembled, noncovalent polymeric biodegradable materials mimicking proteoglycan aggregates were synthesized from inclusion complexes of cationic surfactants with γ‐cyclodextrin and the natural anionic polymer hyaluronan. The amorphous structure of this ternary system was proven by X‐ray diffraction and thermal analysis. Light‐scattering measurements showed that there was a competition between hyaluronic acid and the surfactant for the cyclodextrin cavity. These self‐assembled supramolecular matrices were loaded with both hydrophilic and lipophilic drug substances for dissolution studies. The release of the entrapped drugs was found to be controlled by cations in the surrounding media and by biodegradation. Slow drug release in an ion‐free medium became faster in physiological salt solution in which the macroscopic polymer matrix was disassembled. In contrast, the enzymatic degradation of hyaluronan was hindered in the polymeric matrix. The supramolecular systems consisting of γ‐cyclodextrin as a macrocyclic host, a cationic surfactant guest, and hyaluronic acid as the anionic polymer electrostatically cross‐linked by the inclusion complex of the first two was found to be a novel drug‐delivery system for the controlled release of traditional drugs such as curcumin and ketotifen and proteins such as bovine serum albumin.     

Mucoadhesive Sustained Drug Delivery System Based on Cationic Polymer and Anionic Cyclodextrin/Triclosan Complex

In this study the interactions between a cationic polymer and an anionic cyclodextrin were investigated. The system has the potential for use in a sustained release dosage forms for use on mucous membranes. As mucous membranes are negatively charged the objective of this study was to investigate whether a drug delivery system based on a cationic polymer and an anionic cyclodextrin would be more mucoadhesive than a system containing a cationic polymer and a neutral cyclodextrin. For this purpose the cationic polymer hexadimethrine bromide (HDMBr) and anionic sulfobutylether -cyclodextrin (SBECD) were utilized as well as the neutral hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrin (HPCD). Triclosan was used as a model drug. The drug delivery system was formulated as a solution or semi-solid and its adhesion to porcine buccal mucosa and cation exchange media was measured. In addition the release of triclosan from the system was quantified. No difference was observed between the two systems when they were applied to the mucosal surface. However, the formulations showed improved adhesion, compared to the neutral cyclodextrin/drug delivery system, when they could also reach the underlying surface of the excised tissue. The drug delivery system was much better retained on the cation exchange media than the uncharged system. Significant interactions were observed between the negatively charged cyclodextrin and the positively charged polymer. The results indicate that the interactions could be used to obtain a mucoadhesive sustained drug delivery system under certain circumstances. The positive charge of HDMBr did not have the expected effect on the buccal mucosa and it can be concluded that although a positive charge is likely to promote mucoadhesion, other attributes of polymers, such as molecular weight and viscosity, may have equally beneficial effect.     

Polyvinyl pyridines as flocculating agents

Summary High molecular weight poly 2- and 4-vinyl pyridines were synthesized by ionic polymerisation and their flocculation efficiency tested against kaolin and silica dispersions at pH 3. Low additions of the polymers, around 3 parts per 10₃ parts solid, destabilize the dispersions and clarify silica dispersions to a remarkable extent; however, over-addition of polymer leads to partial restabilization. The flocculation efficiency improves with increase of solids content, especially with clay dispersions. Flocculation efficiency increases with polymer molecular weight, especially over the lower part of the range covered, but is relatively independent of pH in the range 2–4. Quaternization of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) with bromobutane produces a good flocculant for aqueous silica dispersions in which the degree of restabilization on over-dosing depends on the KCI content. TheN-oxide derivatives of the vinyl pyridine polymers do not affect the colloidal stability of silica dispersions. The observations are interpreted in terms of bridging flocculation by the cationic polymer molecules between anionic surface sites on the solid particles.     

Homo- and heteroflocculation of papermaking fines and fillers

The effects of cationic polyethylenimine (PEI) on the colloidal stability of anionic fines (microcrystalline cellulose or thermomechanical fines), fillers (clay) and their mixtures in deionized and tap water were investigated, using a photometric dispersion analyzer. Measurements confirmed that PEI flocculates all used materials by charge neutralization. As expected, higher additions of PEI lead to electrostatic stabilization of microcellulose and clay suspensions, but it was not possible to stabilize the suspension of fines using high additions of PEI. This is ascribed to the mechanical entanglements of fibrillar fines. In tap water, much more PEI is needed to reach optimum flocculation conditions than in deionized water. Heteroflocculation between PEI-coated clay and fines takes place with a rate which, for high fines concentration and a constant clay concentration, is independent of fines concentration. A theoretical model for the heteroflocculation of fines with PEI-coated clay has been developed, which explains the observed trends. In essence, clay particles can act as bridging agents for fines flocculation.     

Reduction of a Tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile‐β‐Cyclodextrin Polymer to Remove Anionic Micropollutants and Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances from Water

Organic micropollutants (MPs) are anthropogenic substances that contaminate water resources at trace concentrations. Many MPs, including per‐ and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs), have come under increased scrutiny because of their environmental persistence and association with various health problems. A β‐cyclodextrin polymer linked with tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile (TFN‐CDP) has high affinity for cationic and many neutral MPs from contaminated water because of anionic groups incorporated during the polymerization. But TFN‐CDP does not bind many anionic MPs strongly, including anionic PFASs. To address this shortcoming, we reduced the nitrile groups in TFN‐CDP to primary amines, which reverses its affinity towards charged MPs. TFN‐CDP exhibits adsorption distribution coefficients (log K_D values) of 2–3 for cationic MPs and ?0.5–1.5 for anionic MPs, whereas the reduced TFN‐CDP exhibits log K_D values of ?0.5–1.5 for cationic MPs and 2–4 for anionic MPs, with especially high affinity towards anionic PFASs. Kinetic studies of the removal of 10 anionic PFASs at environmentally relevant concentrations showed 80–98 % removal of all contaminants after 30 min and was superior to commercial granular activated carbon. These findings demonstrate the scope and tunability of CD‐based adsorbents derived from a single polymerization and the promise of novel adsorbents constructed from molecular receptors.     

Kinetic aspects of flocculation of bentonite clay in the presence of anionic and cationic acrylamide copolymers

The flocculation kinetics in aqueous-salt medium in the presence of anionic and cationic high-molecular-weight random acrylamide copolymers was studied in the hindered sedimentation mode, with a suspension of bentonite clay as example. The influence exerted on the flocculation parameters by the concentration and order of addition of ionic acrylamide copolymers taken in various combinations was analyzed.     

Flocculation of cellular suspensions by polyelectrolytes

The regularities, kinetics and mechanisms of flocculation of Escherichia coli and B. thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) cellular suspensions by water-soluble polymers-and first of all cationic polyelectrolytes of different charge density and stiffness of the macromolecule chain have been investigated. The effect of the focculant dose and nature, its charge density, the hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance in macromolecule, the suspension concentration, the mode of adding the reagent, the pH and the medium composition on the degree of aggregation of cells both in perikinetic regime and in a flowing system is considered. It has been shown that the main laws of microorganism's suspension flocculation are the same as the laws of flocculation of inorganic dispersions but at the same time the first process is much more complicated because the cell-flocculant interactions are strongly affected by products of cell metabolism, components of the culture liquor, pH value, electrolyte content as well as by the changing structure of the cell surface. On the basis of complex measurements of polymer adsorption and its effect on the electrokinetic potential and degree of aggregation of cells, a conclusion is made that the aggregation of E. coli cells by flexible polyelectrolytes like polydiethylaminoethylmetacrylate and its copolymers with acrylic acid, acrylamide and vinylpyrrolidone is due to charge neutralization, while the flocculation in the presence of rigid-chain chitosan and its derivatives is caused mainly by "bridging" between cells via adsorbed macromolecules. Extraction of cells from suspension can be enhanced by combination of electroflotation and flocculation by cationic polyelectrolytes. It has been shown that dilute suspensions of Bti bacteria can be effectively flocculated and concentrated using different cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes that is necessary for its formulation and use as anti-mosquito agent.     

Purification of carbohydrate-containing substrates from plant biomass hydrolysates

Carbohydrate-containing substrates are produced in Russia by means of dilute acid hydrolysis of wood and vegetable residues. Hydrolysates contain 3 to 4% monosaccharides and nearly 1% impurities. The common schemes used to prepare the hydrolysate for fermentation include cooling by self-evaporation; inversion of oligosaccharides; neutralization of sulfuric (and organic) acids; addition of mineral food substances containing nutrient N, P, and K salts; aeration to coagulate colloidal substances; and sedimentation of residues. Our work led to the suggestion that a flocculation step using cationic polyelectrolytes be added to purify more completely the substrates from lignin-huminic substances (LHS). This method permits the transfer of a part of the dissolved and colloidal LHS into a suspended state and the removal of more than 90% of the suspended materials, thereby increasing the yield and quality of ethanol and fodder yeast. Three industrial plants have reported successful results using this method in the past few years. Flocculation has also proven itself capable of clearing waste culture liquids of their dispersed phases by extents of 30–60%, as measured by chemical oxygen demand, color depth, or lignin content parameters, prior to consideration of such wastewater for recycling.     

Flocculation and reflocculation of clay suspension by different polymer systems under turbulent conditions

The focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM), also known as scanning laser microscopy (SLM), was used as a real-time monitor to study the flocculation and reflocculation of clay suspensions under different shear conditions in the presence of single polymer, dual polymer, microparticle and poly(ethylene oxide)/phenolformaldehyde (PEO/PFR) flocculation systems. For initial flocculation, the high molecular weight PEO and cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) produced larger flocs than others. However, reflocculation of clay suspensions formed by these non- or low-charged polymers was insignificant after the initial flocs were broken under high shear force. In contrast, high charge density polymers, such as poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC), do not form large initial flocs, but they showed significant reflocculation ability under a continuous shear condition. It is concluded that high flocculation can be obtained by effective polymer bridging, but high reflocculation can only be induced by high electrostatic attractive forces between suspended particles.     

Photoflocculation of TiO2 microgel mixed suspensions

Photocatalytic TiO 2 was derivatized with an amino silane to give a positively charged colloidal suspension in water. UV irradiation of the cationic titania oxidized the organo silane coating converting the titania to a negatively charged colloid. Irradiation of mixed suspensions of cationic titania and cationic polyvinylamine microgel induced catastrophic flocculation. Electrophoresis and XPS evidence suggests that the UV removed the amine groups from the titania resulting in heteroflocculation of anionic titania with cationic microgel particles.     

Sol-gel reaction in acrylic polymer emulsions: the effect of particle surface charge

Acrylic polymer-silica hybrid emulsions were synthesized from both anionic and cationic polymer emulsions by simple post-addition of tetraethoxysilane as a silica precursor. Solvent resistance of the films from the hybrid emulsions and the zeta-potential of the hybrid emulsions suggested the different forms of silica components in each hybrid emulsion. Thermal gravimetric analysis, 29Si NMR measurements, and transmission electron microscope observations revealed that the hybrid emulsion from the anionic polymer emulsion was a mixture of anionic polymer particles and homogeneously dissolved silicate oligomer-polymer. On the contrary, the hybrid emulsion from cationic polymer emulsion consisted of polymer core-silica shell particles. The electrostatic interaction between the cationic polymer particle surface and the silicate would be responsible for the accumulation of the silicate onto the particle surface, leading to the silica shell layer formation. The sol-gel condensation reaction of silicate in the acidic emulsion phase was revealed to be controllable by the surface charge of the coexisting particles.     

Chitosan for coagulation/flocculation processes - An eco-friendly approach

Chitosan is a partially deacetylated polymer obtained from the alkaline deacetylation of chitin, a biopolymer extracted from shellfish sources. Chitosan exhibits a variety of physico-chemical and biological properties resulting in numerous applications in fields such as cosmetics, biomedical engineering, pharmaceuticals, ophthalmology, biotechnology, agriculture, textiles, oenology, food processing and nutrition. This amino-biopolymer has also received a great deal of attention in the last decades in water treatment processes for the removal of particulate and dissolved contaminants. In particular, the development of chitosan-based materials as useful coagulants and flocculants is an expanding field in the area of water and wastewater treatment. Their coagulation and flocculation properties can be used to remove particulate inorganic or organic suspensions, and also dissolved organic substances. This paper gives an overview of the main results obtained in the treatment of various suspensions and solutions. The effects of the characteristics of the chitosan used and the conditions in solution on the coagulation/flocculation performance are also discussed.     

Use of various β‐cyclodextrin derivatives as chiral selectors for the enantiomeric separation of ofloxacin and its five related substances by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoretic method for the enantioseparation of ofloxacin and its five related substances (potential impurities, indicated as impurities B–F) was developed using β‐cyclodextrin derivatives as chiral selectors. To our knowledge, there are no previous studies about using capillary electrophoresis for the separation of impurities B–D. Six β‐cyclodextrin derivatives including cationic (piperidine‐ and cyclohexylamine‐), neutral (dimethyl‐ and hydroxypropyl‐), and anionic (carboxymethyl‐ and sulfated‐) β‐cyclodextrin derivatives were tested and operational parameters such as buffer pH and concentration of β‐cyclodextrin derivatives were investigated. The best resolutions were all obtained with anionic β‐cyclodextrin derivatives: ofloxacin, impurities C–F could be best resolved with carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin at satisfactory resolutions of 8.27, 9.98, 5.92, 8.49 and 6.78, respectively, while for impurity B, a particularly impressive resolution value, up to 21.38, was observed using sulfated‐β‐cyclodextrin. The enhancement of enantioseparation observed for the tested analytes using anionic β‐cyclodextrin derivatives might be due to some favorable interaction between selectors and analytes. Given the fact that the selection of chiral selector depends on the structures of analytes, with the help of structural similarities and differences of the analytes, the structure–separation relationship was further discussed.     

Depletion flocculation of latex dispersion in ionic micellar systems

The flocculation behavior of anionic and cationic latex dispersions induced by addition of ionic surfactants with different polarities (SDS and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)) have been evaluated by rheological measurements. It was found that in identical polar surfactant systems with particle surfaces of SDS + anionic lattices and CTAB + cationic lattices, a weak and reversible flocculation has been observed in a limited concentration region of surfactant, which was analyzed as a repletion flocculation induced by the volume-restriction effect of the surfactant micelles. On the other hand, in oppositely charged surfactant systems (SDS + cationic lattices and CTAB + anionic lattices), the particles were flocculated strongly in a low surfactant concentration region, which will be based on the charge neutralization and hydrophobic effects from the adsorbed surfactant molecules. After the particles stabilized by the electrostatic repulsion of adsorbed surfactant layers, the system viscosity shows a weak maximum again in a limited concentration region. This weak maximum was influenced by the shear rate and has a complete reversible character, which means that this weak flocculation will be due to the depletion effect from the free micelles after saturated adsorption.     

Adsorption of polymeric additives and their effect on the deposition of wood materials in paper production

The objective of this study is to understand how adsorbed synthetic polymers affect deposition kinetics of dissolved and colloidal wood materials. The synthetic polymers were characterised by means of static and dynamic light scattering, and their adsorption on silica was studied by means of optical reflectometry. Deposition kinetics of colloidal wood resin, compounds in model process water, as well as adsorption of anionic carbohydrates was then studied on the surface layers formed by synthetic polymers. It was found that neither wood resin nor anionic carbohydrates have affinity for adsorbed polyethylene oxide. However, wood resin deposited readily on adsorbed cationic polyacryl amides. Both polyethylene oxide and cationic polyacryl amides formed multilayers with compounds in the model process water.     

Successive adsorption of polyacrylamide compounds from electrolyte solutions on the surface of kaolinitic clay particles

Successive adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, namely, cationic and anionic acrylamide copolymers, on a solid phase surface from solutions with high ionic strength is investigated. The constants of the Freundlich equation are calculated for the adsorption of different polymers. The interrelation between the adsorption values of polymers and their flocculation activity with respect to clay-salt suspensions is determined. The successive adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes strongly affects the flocculation due to the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes on the surface of clay particles. The mechanism for complexation is proposed.     

Preparation and characterization of different polyelectrolyte complexes and their application as flocculants

 Polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC) from poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride) PDADMAC and two different polyanions, formed in aqueous solution, were characterized by different methods (zeta-potential, net content, turbidity) and applied as flocculants. The flocculation of clay was investigated by sedimentation measurement as well as by a dynamic method, using a Fibre Optical Flocculation Sensor. The results of both methods showed that the most important advantages of PEC were the high velocity of sedimentation and a very broad range of the optimum flocculation concentration. In spite of the differences in the complex-forming behavior of the two polyanions used, no significant differences between complexes of the same composition but different polyanions are obtained. In contrast, the ratio of anionic to cationic charges is of great importance for the mechanism of flocculation. Received: 30 May 1997 Accepted: 22 September 1997     

Electrokinetic potential of bentonite and kaolin particles in the presence of polymer mixtures

In order to elucidate the mechanisms of flocculation by polymer mixtures, the effect of adsorption of non-ionic poly(ethylene oxide) — PEO, two samples of strongly (SNF FO 4800) and medium charged (SNF FO 4350) cationic and two samples of medium (SNF AN 935) and weakly charged (SNF AN 905) anionic polyelectrolytes (PE) as well as their binary mixtures on the electrokinetic potential of bentonite and kaolin particles has been studied. It is shown that in the presence of PEO-anionic/cationic polymer mixture, the electrokinetic potential of particles is determined by the adsorption of the polyelectrolyte; neither cationic nor anionic segments can be displaced by the non-ionic polymer. In mixtures of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes, the ζ-potential of particles is determined by the adsorbed amount of anionic polymer independently of the charge density of PE and way of addition of the mixture components to the suspension, i.e. (1) first adding the cationic polymer, then the anionic one, or (2) first adding the anionic polymer then the cationic one, or (3) adding an increasing amount of pre-prepared 1: 1 mixture. The highest absolute ζ-potential values are observed for pH 7.5 when the surface of bentonite or kaolin particles is “purely” negatively charged and the anionic PE layer is most extended because of few contacts to the surface. With decreasing the pH, the (negative) ζ-potential of particles decreases due to appearance of a small amount of positive charges on the surface that bond an increasing amount of negative segments and results in shrinking of the adsorbed layer of the anionic PE. It is shown also that the electrokinetic potential of particles in anionic and cationic PE mixtures at all studied pH (4, 5, and 7.5) depends on the spatial distribution of negatively charged segments near the surface. The regularities observed are explained by formation of long loops and tails of anionic segments on the surface because of the small number of contacts to the surface; the cationic polyelectrolyte forms on the surface a thin layer with a big number of contacts and which is hidden behind the more extended anionic polymer layer.     

Effect of Charge and Hydrophobicity on Adsorption of Modified Starches on Polyester

Polyester fabric (poly(ethylene terephthalate)) is a hydrophobic polymer. Its hydrophobic nature can be a disadvantage for certain applications like dyeing, finishing, detergency, etc. Physical or chemical modification of the polyester to make it more hydrophilic is therefore desirable for certain performance characteristics. Surface modification of polyester to make it hydrophilic can be achieved by adsorbing polymers on the polyester surface. Starch is a commonly available, hydrophilic polymer used in many textile applications that can be used to modify polyester. However, it needs to be chemically modified so that it can adsorb on the polyester fabric and physically modify the fabric characteristics. The polymers used in this study are two different modified starches—cationic and anionic starches and mixtures of the two. The adsorption kinetics on a polyester substrate was studied. The effect of charge and hydrophobicity on adsorption was investigated. Cationic starches were shown to readily adsorb on polyester and this was attributed to electrostatic interactions. Hydrophobic substituents on the cationic moiety resulted in increased adsorption. This was attributed to the weak hydrophobic interaction between the polymer chains which could result in a more coiled polymer conformation. It is hypothesized that more starch molecules are required for surface coverage of the polyester, resulting in an increase in adsorption. Anionic starch was adsorbed on the substrate but at a slower rate than the cationic starches. It is likely that there is a H bonding between acid groups on the starch and the ester groups of the polyester. However, the anionic starch is desorbed when the polyester is placed in an aqueous medium. When a blend of cationic starch and anionic starch was used, a low concentration of anionic starch was seen to increase adsorption, indicating that the polyelectrolyte complex itself may be adsorbing on the substrate. Further increases cause a decrease in adsorption as no sites may be available on the complex for adsorption. When hydrophobic substituents are present, addition of the anionic starch causes a decrease in adsorption at all concentrations. This was attributed to the “crosslinking” between the hydrophobically modified starch and the anionic polymer.