Impact of Heat Treatment on the Performance of Polymers as Ferric Ions Stabilization Agents for Aqueous Systems

Abstract

Abstract The impact of heat treatment on the performance of various polymers as ferric ions stabilization agents in an aqueous system at pH 7.00, 23 °C has been investigated. The polymers evaluated include: (a) homo-polymers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, sulfonated styrene; (b) co-polymers of acrylic acid: 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and maleic acid: sulfonated styrene, and (c) ter-polymers of acrylic acid: 2-acryalamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid: sulfonated styrene, acrylic acid: methacrylic acid: t-butylacrylamide, and acrylic acid: 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid: t-butylacrylamide. It has been found that all polymers lose performance to a varying degree when exposed to thermal treatment (150 °C, 200 °C, 240 °C, 20 hr). The performance data collected before and after thermal treatment suggest that sulfonated styrene containing co- and ter-polymers are better ferric ions stabilization agents than the co- and ter-polymers containing 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and t-butylacrylamide. In addition, it has been found that heat treatment exhibits positive influence on the performance of homo-polymer of 2-acrylamido-2-methypropane sulfonic acid. The results have been explained in terms of loss of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and t-butylacrylamide in the co- and ter-polymers during thermal treatment.