Properties and Applications of Polyacrylamide (PAM)

Polyacrylamide (PAM) is a collective term for polymers obtained by the homopolymerization or copolymerization of acrylamide monomers under the action of an initiator. It can be used as a coagulant, retention aid, sludge dewatering agent, and flocculant sedimentation agent, among other uses, and has a wide range of applications.

Characteristics of Polyacrylamide (PAM) Usage

Flocculation

Polyacrylamide (PAM) can cause suspended substances to flocculate through electric neutralization and bridging adsorption.  

Adhesion

It can act as an adhesive through mechanical, physical, and chemical means.

Drag Reduction

Polyacrylamide (PAM) can effectively reduce the frictional resistance of fluids, and adding a small amount of polyacrylamide (PAM) to water can reduce drag by 50-80%.  

Thickening

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has thickening effects under both neutral and acidic conditions, and when the pH value is above 10, polyacrylamide (PAM) is easily hydrolyzed. When presenting a semi-network structure, thickening becomes more apparent.

Applications of Polyacrylamide (PAM) 

Water Treatment Field

Polyacrylamide (PAM)'s application in the water treatment industry mainly includes raw water treatment, sewage treatment, and industrial water treatment. In raw water treatment, polyacrylamide (PAM) is used together with activated carbon for the coagulation and clarification of suspended particles in domestic water; in sewage treatment, polyacrylamide (PAM) can be used for sludge dewatering; in industrial water treatment, polyacrylamide (PAM) is primarily used as a formula agent. In raw water treatment, replacing inorganic coagulants with the organic coagulant polyacrylamide (PAM) can increase water purification capacity by more than 20% without modifying the sedimentation tank.

Therefore, many large and medium-sized cities currently use polyacrylamide (PAM) as a supplement during water supply shortages or poor water quality conditions. In industrial wastewater treatment, especially for handling suspended particles, coarse and high concentration wastewater, wastewater with positively charged particles, neutral or alkaline wastewater, steel plant wastewater, electroplating plant wastewater, metallurgical wastewater, and coal washing wastewater, the effect is even more pronounced. In sewage treatment, using polyacrylamide (PAM) can increase the recycling rate of water reuse.

 
Petroleum Extraction Field

In petroleum extraction, polyacrylamide (PAM) is mainly used in drilling mud materials and for enhancing oil recovery, widely applied in drilling, well completion, cementing, fracturing, enhanced recovery, and other oil field extraction operations. It has functions such as thickening, fluid loss reduction, rheology modification, gelation, diversion, and profile adjustment. Currently, domestic oilfields have entered the late extraction stage, and to improve crude oil recovery rate, polymer flooding and binary composite flooding technologies are primarily promoted. By injecting polyacrylamide (PAM) aqueous solution, the oil-water flow ratio is improved, thereby increasing the crude oil content in the extracted materials. While polyacrylamide (PAM) applications in overseas oilfields are not as widespread, due to China's specific geological conditions, Daqing Oilfield and Shengli Oilfield have already begun to widely adopt polymer flooding technology.

 
Paper-Making Field

Polyacrylamide (PAM) is widely used in the paper-making field as a retention aid, filter aid, and uniformity agent. It helps improve paper quality, enhance pulp dehydration performance, increase the retention rate of fine fibers and fillers, reduce raw material consumption, and minimize environmental pollution. The effectiveness of polyacrylamide (PAM) in paper-making depends on its average molecular weight, ionic nature, ionic strength, and the activity of other copolymers.

Textile Field

 
In the textile industry, polyacrylamide (PAM) is used as a fabric post-treatment sizing agent and finishing agent, capable of forming a soft, wrinkle-resistant, and mildew-resistant protective layer. Its strong hygroscopicity can reduce breakage rates during fine yarn spinning; as a post-treatment agent, polyacrylamide (PAM) can prevent static electricity and flame retardancy in fabrics; when used as a printing and dyeing auxiliary, polyacrylamide (PAM) provides strong adhesion and high brightness for products, and it can also act as a non-silicon high polymer stabilizer in bleaching. Additionally, polyacrylamide (PAM) is used for efficient purification of textile printing and dyeing wastewater.