Broadening of appropriate demulsifier dosage range for latex-containing wastewater by sulfate addition

• Published in: Frontiers of environmental science & engineering Vol. 12; no. 6; p. 4
• Main Authors: Zheng, Shengzhi, Song, Yudong, Li, Yiming, Sun, Lidong, Hu, Bin, An, Mingdong, Zhou, Yuexi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Higher Education Press 01.12.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Chemical oxygen demand; Demulsification; Dosage; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Latex; Neutralization; Polyaluminum chloride; Polybutadiene; Polybutadiene latex wastewater; Research Article; Sulfate addition; Sulfates; Wastewater; Zeta potential; Sulfate addition; Polybutadiene latex wastewater; Polyaluminum chloride; Zeta potential; Demulsification
• ISSN: 2095-2201; 2095-221X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11783-018-1041-z

The effect of latex concentration on appropriate demulsifier dosage was investigated. The appropriate demulsifier dosage range was controlled by zeta potential. Sulfate could broaden appropriate demulsifier dosage range and improve latex removal. Investigation of demulsification of polybutadiene latex (PBL) wastewater by polyaluminum chloride (PAC) indicated that there was an appropriate dosage range for latex removal. The demulsification mechanism of PAC was adsorption-charge neutralization and its appropriate dosage range was controlled by zeta potential. When the zeta potential of the mixture was between -15 and 15 mV after adding PAC, the demulsification effect was good. Decreasing the latex concentration in chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 8.0 g/L to 0.2 g/L made the appropriate PAC dosage range narrower and caused the maximum latex removal efficiency to decrease from 95% to 37%. Therefore, more accurate PAC dosage control is required. Moreover, adding 50 mg/L sulfate broadened the appropriate PAC dosage range, resulting in an increase in maximum latex removal efficiency from 37% to 91% for wastewater of 0.2 g COD/L. The addition of sulfate will favor more flexible PAC dosage control in demulsification of PBL wastewater.