Dynamic measurements of adsorption of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) onto hematite

The adsorption measurements of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) onto hematite suspension are carried out to study the dynamics of the polymer adsorption onto the suspension particles and to investigate the mode of the polymer adsorption. The polymer is found to show much affinity for the adsorption because of the opposite charges possessed by the polymeric flocculant and the suspension particles. Various adsorption parameters such as adsorption coefficient, the rate constants for the adsorption and desorption, are evaluated with the help of a recently proposed kinetic scheme. It is found that the extent of adsorption and the adsorption rate are adequately affected by increasing the pH of the suspension while, unexpectedly, the adsorption is found to show only a marginal increase on addition of Na₂SO₄. Both the amount of the adsorbed polymer and the adsorption rate are also found to increase with the degree of hydrolysis of the polyelectrolyte.