How to Distinguish between Pam Polyacrylamide and Sodium Polyacrylate?

Basic knowledge of sodium polyacrylate

Sodium polyacrylate is a polymer compound with hydrophilic groups. It is a white powder with no odor or taste. It slowly dissolves in water to form a very viscous transparent solution. The viscosity of a 0.5% solution is about 1000cp. Its viscosity does not increase due to water absorption like CMC and sodium alginate, but because the ionization of many anionic groups in the molecule causes the molecular chain to grow, resulting in increased apparent viscosity and the formation of a high viscosity solution. The viscosity is about 15-20 times that of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and sodium alginate. It has good alkali resistance, maintains viscosity over a long period of time, and is not prone to decay. Sodium polyacrylate is mainly used in the food industry and can also be used as a flocculant. It can be abbreviated as PAAS. The product has the following characteristics:

• Soluble in water. The pH value of the water solution is generally between 6 and 9, depending on the degree of neutralization. It can ionize and may or may not be corrosive.

  
  

• Easily soluble in sodium hydroxide solution, but with an increasing number of alkaline earth metal ions such as calcium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide, it first dissolves and then precipitates.

  
  

• Non-toxic. Food-grade sodium polyacrylate is edible and is approved by the US FDA, Japan's Ministry of Health, and the Department of Health as a food additive, posing no harm to the human body.

Basic knowledge of pam polyacrylamide

Pam polyacrylamide, abbreviated as PAM, is widely used in the water treatment field due to its various types and models. It is a colorless and transparent liquid with a certain viscosity after dissolution. It is mainly used as a flocculant product in the water treatment field and is also widely used in the oilfield industry and papermaking field.

It is difficult to judge the difference between the two based on appearance alone and requires experimental verification. Preliminary judgments can also be made based on some physical or chemical properties, but the results are not authoritative. For example, the viscosity of sodium polyacrylate decreases rapidly when salt is added, while the viscosity of pam polyacrylamide decreases less. The most authoritative approach is chromatographic analysis.

Pam polyacrylamide is not suitable for long-term storage in a certain sense. The general recommended storage period by manufacturers is 2 years, depending on the packaging material and storage conditions. Currently, most manufacturers use cowhide paper bags, which are paper-plastic composite bags with PVC plastic lining, while some manufacturers use multi-layer valve bags made of imported paper or white PE valve bags. Different packaging can also affect the effective storage time of pam polyacrylamide. During storage, it is important to ensure heat resistance, moisture resistance, and ventilation for PAM products. When receiving products, if packaging damage is found, it is recommended to replace the packaging or use the product as soon as possible to prevent exposure to air and moisture absorption.

It is recommended not to stack pam polyacrylamide products more than twenty layers to prevent clumping under heavy pressure. The storage time of the product may vary depending on the manufacturer. This mainly depends on the moisture content of the PAM product during production and processing. If the product has a high moisture content, it is common for it to form large clumps or even clump together as a whole after a period of storage. In such cases, the best solution is to contact the supplier for replacement to minimize losses.