SODIUM TITANATE NANOBELT AS A MICROPARTICLE TO INDUCE CLAY FLOCCULATION WITH CPAM

• Main Authors: Wenxia Liu, Xuyan Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: North Carolina State University 2010-07-01
• Series: BioResources
• Subjects: Flocculation; sodium titanate nanobelt; CPAM; microparticle retention system; clay
• Online Access: http://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BioRes/article/viewFile/BioRes_05_3_1895_Zhang_Liu_Na_Ti_Nanobelt_Microparticle_Flocculation/687

Sodium titanate nanobelt was synthesized by treating titanium dioxide hydrothermally in concentrated sodium hydroxide solution. The product was characterized by SEM analysis and zeta potential measurement. It served as a microparticle to constitute a microparticle retention system with cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM), while the microparticle system was employed to induce the flocculation of kaolin clay. The flocculation behavior of kaolin clay in such a system was investigated by using a photometric dispersion analyzer connected with a dynamic drainage jar. It was found that the sodium titanate nanobelt carried negative charges and had a lower zeta potential at higher pH. It gave a large synergistic flocculation effect with CPAM at a very low dosage, and showed higher flocculation effect with CPAM under neutral and weak alkaline conditions. A suitably high shear level was helpful for the re-flocculation of clay by sodium titanate nanobelt. The clay flocculation induced by CPAM/titanate nanobelt system demonstrated high shear resistance and also generated dense flocs.