Abstract
This present study focuses on the ability of montmorillonite, a ubiquitous and non-toxic clay which can be used as an eco-friendly flocculant. For this purpose, coagulation behavior of Polystyrene Amidine Latex (AL) particles with Na-montmorillonite was investigated by the application of standardized mixing method. The flocculation rate of AL particles was assessed as a function of Na-montmorillonite concentration, considering ionic strength and pH. The results showed an enhancement factor (β) ranging from 2 to 5 at an optimal concentration of Na-montmorillonite (∅9.8×10−7). The obtained enhanced rate is attributed to the adsorbing conformation of montmorillonite onto AL particles detected by the combined experiment of electrophoretic mobility and measurement of hydrodynamic layer thickness of clay on AL particles. The finding and established method will be ultimately useful to assess the effect of bio-surfactants or biopolymers which are usually present in microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) interacting with environmental colloidal particles.
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