Why use Nonionic Polyacrylamide in wastewater treatment?
2026-04-14 10:56:54
Nonionic Polyacrylamide(NPAM)is widely used in wastewater treatment mainly because of its stable performance under harsh water quality conditions,excellent flocculation-bridging effect,and strong adaptability that anionic or cationic polyacrylamide cannot fully replace.The key reasons are as follows:
1.Excellent stability in acidic wastewater
NPAM is electrically neutral and not sensitive to pH.
It works stably in strongly or weakly acidic wastewater(pH 2–7),such as mining leachate,pickling wastewater,electroplating wastewater,where APAM and CPAM often fail or perform poorly.
2.Outstanding resistance to high salinity and hard water
In wastewater with high inorganic salt content,high hardness,or high ion concentration(e.g.,oilfield produced water,coastal industrial wastewater),charged polymers(APAM/CPAM)are easily affected by ions and lose effectiveness.
NPAM is nearly unaffected by salt ions and maintains good flocculation.
3.No charge interference,suitable for neutral suspended particles
For suspensions with near-neutral surface charge(organic colloids,fiber fines,starch,clay),charge neutralization is ineffective.
NPAM relies on adsorption and bridging of long molecular chains to aggregate fine particles into large flocs,achieving efficient solid–liquid separation.
4.Forms dense,low-moisture flocs
NPAM produces small but compact flocs with good shear resistance.
This makes it especially suitable for sludge dewatering,reducing cake moisture content and improving filtration efficiency.
5.Low dosage and high efficiency
Under suitable water quality,NPAM achieves ideal clarification with a relatively low dosage,reducing treatment cost and residual polymer in effluent.
6.Compatibility with inorganic coagulants
It can be used together with PAC,ferric sulfate,aluminum sulfate,etc.,to enhance floc formation,speed up sedimentation,and improve effluent clarity.
7.Wide adaptability to complex wastewater
Suitable for mixed wastewater containing organic matter,fine silt,oil,and suspended solids,such as textile wastewater,paper wastewater,coal washing water,and food processing wastewater.
References
GB/T 7714
Harifin Z,Zainuddin N.Performance Evaluation of Nonionic Polyacrylamide as Flocculant for Industrial Wastewater Treatment[J].Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering,2017,5(2):1622–1628.
MLA
Harifin,Zulkifli,and Noraziah Zainuddin."Performance Evaluation of Nonionic Polyacrylamide as Flocculant for Industrial Wastewater Treatment."Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering,vol.5,no.2,2017,pp.1622–1628.
APA
Harifin,Z.,&Zainuddin,N.(2017).Performance evaluation of nonionic polyacrylamide as flocculant for industrial wastewater treatment.Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering,5(2),1622–1628.
