Synthesis and characterization of polyamine-based polyelectrolytes for wastewater treatment in the sugar industry

The treatment of sugar industrial effluent is an enormous task because of the very high load of turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), high or low pH value and oil & grease. The polyelectrolyte in conjunction with inorganic coagulant was used successfully for its treatment. Four new polyamine-based cationic polyelectrolytes have been synthesized. These polyelectrolytes were characterized by FTIR, ¹³C NMR, ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and were exploited in the sugar industry wastewater. Cationicity of polyelectrolytes was also determined, and the polyelectrolytes’ efficiency was calculated at different coagulants and flocculants dosages. Based on the result obtained by four polyelectrolytes, it was observed that polyelectrolytes with a 1.5:1 molar ratio of epichlorohydrin: diphenylamine has given the best result in the removal of pollutants from sugar industry wastewater. The result was found to be consistent in all kinds of pollutants of sugar industry suspension with a 1.5:1 molar ratio of epichlohydrin: diphenylamine polyelectrolytes.