RESUMO
Flocculation is one of the most widely applied techniques for water treatment. Flocculants based on natural polymer has received more attention due to their eco-friendliness in recent years. New water soluble N-methyl piperazinium chloride grafted chitosan flocculant (chitosan-g-N-MPC) was successfully synthesized and thoroughly characterized using FTIR, NMR and powder X-ray diffraction analytical techniques. Incorporation of N-MPC enhanced the ionic character of the chitosan backbone and improved its water solubility. The flocculation performance of chitosan-g-N-MPC was tested against bentonite suspension. The flocculation performance of chitosan-g-N-MPC was investigated under various pH conditions. Turbidity and zeta potential measurements were employed to investigate the flocculation behavior of the chitosan-g-N-MPC. The characteristics of the industrial wastewater before and after flocculation were analyzed. The morphology of the polymer and flocs were studied by TEM analysis.
