The effect of polymer on the floatation-flocculation performance of flocculant for treating polymer flooding produced water

In this paper, a series of hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide (HMPAM) containing different types of hydrophobic monomer were synthesized. Their effects on the performance of a typical flocculant DA, which was used in air floatation cyclone and is a copolymer of tertiary amine monomer and polymerizable polyether, were investigated. The experimental results showed that low concentration (<200 mg/L) of HMPAM improved the oil removal performance of DA, and high concentration of HMPAM greatly reduced the oil removal performance of DA. It was proposed that the electrostatic attraction between HMPAM and DA had both the positive and negative effects on performance of DA, and which one dominated was influenced by HMPAM concentration. This propose was confirmed by the results of dynamic light scattering and zeta potential. In addition, we found that the negative effect decreased with the increasing hydrophobic monomer chain. The results of this study can provide a guidance for the synthesis and selection of HMPAM from the perspective of produced water treatment.