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Cationic Hydrolytically Degradable Flocculants with Enhanced Water Recovery for Oil Sands Tailings Remediation
Author(s) -
Rooney Thomas R.,
Gumfekar Sarang P.,
Soares João B. P.,
Hutchinson Robin A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201600230
Subject(s) - cationic polymerization , materials science , polycaprolactone , flocculation , chemical engineering , polyester , emulsion , polymerization , tailings , hydrolysis , methacrylate , emulsion polymerization , polymer , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , engineering , metallurgy
Micellar radical polymerization of a short‐chain polyester macromonomer, polycaprolactone choline iodide ester methacrylate (PCL n ChMA), is used to produce a new cationic flocculant that becomes more hydrophobic in response to hydrolytic degradation. The cationic tips of the comb‐like poly(PCL 3 ChMA) accelerate the settling rate of oil sands tailings, while partial hydrolysis of the polyester grafts reveals the hydrophobic segments that reduce capillary suction time by 30%. This technology combines the material properties of polyesters with the productivity of radical polymerization to make dual functional flocculants with characteristics that can be easily tuned to control flocculation performance, such as polymeric cation density, hydrophobic content, and polymer architecture.