Kinetics and mechanism of flocculation of bentonite and kaolin suspensions with polyelectrolytes and the strength of floccs

The effects of cationic (Zetag 7589, Zetag 8660, and SNF 528) and anionic (Magnafloc 1011) polyelectrolytes, as well as the regimes and intensity of suspension stirring, on the kinetics of formation, disruption, and subsequent regrowth of aggregates of bentonite and kaolin particles, are studied in a flow system. The optimum polymer doses and the stirring conditions providing the formation of largest and strongest floccules are found. Under comparable conditions, the effect of the adsorption of the above polymers on the electrokinetic potential and the degree of aggregation of particles is studied. It is shown that intense flocculation takes place long before the isoelectric point of particles is reached. This allows one to conclude that the formation of polymer bridges plays a significant role in the flocculation of the examined suspensions with polyelectrolytes. Different dependencies of flocculation on the dose of added polyelectrolytes have been found for diluted and concentrated suspensions. This is explained by different extents to which flocculants adsorbed on the particle surface approach the equilibrium state at different concentrations of dispersed phases.