The effect of shear on the flocculating effectiveness of two cationic polymers (NALCO 671 and Aquafloc 418), two anionic polymers (NALCO 8175 and 8170), and one nonionic polymer (NALCO 110-A) was evaluated. The flocculating effectiveness of the polymers tested was determined by conducting jar tests on 1 wt % kaolinite suspensions. The jar tests showed that each polymer possessed an optimum flocculation concentration resulting in a maximum reduction in turbidity. Shearing of the polymer solutions resulted in degradation of the polymer molecules, manifested by a decrease in solution viscosity. Degradation increased with increasing shearing time and continuously decreased the flocculation effectiveness of the polymers.
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