Abstract
High molecular weight (106–3 × 107 Da) polyacrylamide (PAM) is commonly used as a flocculant in water and wastewater treatment, as a soil conditioner, and as a viscosity modifier and friction reducer in both enhanced oil recovery and high volume hydraulic fracturing. These applications of PAM can result in significant environmental challenges, both in water management and in contamination of local water supplies after accidental spills. This paper provides a short review of current applications of high molecular weight PAM, including the potential for PAM degradation by chemical, mechanical, thermal, photolytic, and biological processes. Methods for treating wastewater containing partially degraded PAM are then discussed along with issues related to the potential toxicity and mobility of PAM in the environment after disposal or accidental release.
Highlights
The term “polyacrylamide” is loosely used to describe any polymer with acrylamide present as one of the monomers.[1]
PAM is widely used in environmental systems including: 1. as a viscosity enhancer in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and more recently as a friction reducer in high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF)1,4,9–15; 2. as a flocculant in water treatment and sludge dewatering[13,16,17]; and
We examine the potential for acrylamide release into the environment
Summary
Boya Xiong[1], Rebeca Dettam Loss[2], Derrick Shields[2], Taylor Pawlik[2], Richard Hochreiter[2], Andrew L Zydney 2 and Manish Kumar[1,2]. High molecular weight (106–3 × 107 Da) polyacrylamide (PAM) is commonly used as a flocculant in water and wastewater treatment, as a soil conditioner, and as a viscosity modifier and friction reducer in both enhanced oil recovery and high volume hydraulic fracturing. These applications of PAM can result in significant environmental challenges, both in water management and in contamination of local water supplies after accidental spills. This paper provides a short review of current applications of high molecular weight PAM, including the potential for PAM degradation by chemical, mechanical, thermal, photolytic, and biological processes. Methods for treating wastewater containing partially degraded PAM are discussed along with issues related to the potential toxicity and mobility of PAM in the environment after disposal or accidental release
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