Polyacrylamide has become an indispensable component in modern water treatment processes. Its favourable performance and minimal dosage requirements have made it highly favoured. However, how should one evaluate and select from the range of VICTOR polyacrylamide products to identify superior quality?
The technical specifications of polyacrylamide include molecular weight, degree of hydrolysis, ionisation degree, and viscosity. Therefore, when evaluating the quality of polyacrylamide products, these metrics should be examined. Polyacrylamide consistently exhibits high molecular weight, with some products now reaching 20 million molecular weight as the industry advances. Each molecule comprises over one hundred thousand polymerised acrylamide units. Generally, polyacrylamide products with higher molecular weights exhibit superior flocculation performance. Based on molecular mass, polyacrylamide can be categorised as: - Low molecular weight (below one million) - Medium molecular weight (one to ten million) - High molecular weight (ten to fifteen million) - Ultra-high molecular weight (over fifteen million molecules).
Hydrolysation degree and ionisation degree also influence polyacrylamide products. Within polyacrylamide, ionisation degree and hydrolysation degree significantly impact its application. However, this requires differentiation and determination based on the specific industry being treated. Different industries utilise varying quantities of polyacrylamide. Generally, anionic properties are referred to as hydrolysed degree, whilst ionic degree specifically denotes cationic properties. Hydrolysis constitutes a chemical reaction. Though conventionally, many still term the entire dissolution process of flocculants as hydrolysis, it should be understood that hydrolysis involves chemical decomposition through water addition. Dissolution, however, is merely a physical phenomenon unrelated to chemical reactions. Therefore, hydrolysis and dissolution cannot be equated.
Viscosity measures the thickness of a polyacrylamide solution. Solutions with higher molecular weight exhibit greater viscosity, primarily due to the long, slender chain-like structure of polyacrylamide macromolecules. Viscosity fundamentally reflects the state of friction forces. Solutions of various high-molecular-weight organic compounds exhibit high viscosity, which increases with molecular weight. Consequently, polyacrylamide quality can be assessed based on these parameters. Subsequently, selecting the most suitable polyacrylamide product for the specific water quality being treated is advisable.
