Quick-Pick by System
| Application | Primary Coagulant | Polymer Flocculant | Typical Dose | Recommended Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Sewage | PAC (10–30% Al₂O₃) | CPAM medium-ionic Mw 8M | PAC 50–150 ppm + PAM 1–3 ppm | Cationic PAM 30% / PAC 30% Al₂O₃ |
| Municipal Sludge Dewatering | — | CPAM high-ionic Mw 6–10M | PAM 3–8 kg/ton DS | Cationic PAM 50–60% (belt press) |
| Drinking Water | PAC food-grade (GB 15892) | NPAM low Mw | PAC 20–80 ppm + PAM 0.1–0.3 ppm | PAC food-grade + NPAM <0.5 ppm |
| Paper Mill White Water Retention | Alum or PAC paper-grade | APAM Mw 10–15M (retention aid) | Retention aid 0.05–0.3% on pulp | Paper-grade APAM + PAC retention system |
| Mining Tailings | Lime + PFS / FeCl₃ | APAM Mw 15–22M | PAM 30–100 g/ton ore | Mining-grade APAM 20% hydrolysis |
| Coal Washing | — | APAM Mw 18–22M | PAM 20–60 g/ton | Anionic PAM ultra-high Mw |
| Oilfield EOR (Polymer Flooding) | — | HPAM Mw 15–25M | HPAM 1000–2500 ppm | HPAM EOR-grade hydrolyzed PAM |
| Printing & Dyeing Wastewater | PFS or FeCl₃ + polyDADMAC | APAM or AmPAM Mw 8–12M | PolyDADMAC 50–200 ppm + PAM 2–5 ppm | PolyDADMAC + APAM combination |
| Petrochemical Refinery Wastewater | PAC + PolyDADMAC | CPAM Mw 8–12M | PAC 80–200 ppm + PAM 3–6 ppm | PolyDADMAC primary + CPAM secondary |
| Sugar Mill Juice Clarification | Lime + Phosphoric acid | Sugar-grade PAM (food contact) | PAM 1–5 ppm | Sugar PAM (GB 2760 compliant) |
| Sand Washing / Construction Sludge | — | APAM high Mw 18–22M | PAM 1–3 kg/m³ sludge | Anionic PAM 25% hydrolysis |
All Grades (by chemistry class)
Polyacrylamide (PAM) Family — Anionic / Cationic / Nonionic(0)
The workhorse polymer flocculant chemistry. Anionic (APAM) for mineral/acidic systems; cationic (CPAM) for organic sludges and biological systems; nonionic (NPAM) for clean colloidal sludges and drinking water. Molecular weight 5–25 million Daltons across grades.
Inorganic Coagulants — PAC, PAFC, Alum, FeCl₃(0)
First-stage coagulant chemistry — destabilize colloids by charge neutralization before polymer flocculation. Aluminum-based (PAC, alum, sodium aluminate) for general-purpose municipal & drinking water. Iron-based (FeCl₃, PAFC) for high-color or phosphate-removal applications.
Specialty Polymers — polyDADMAC, Polyamine, HPAM, PAA(0)
High-charge-density / specialty polymer flocculants for challenging applications. polyDADMAC and polyamine give low-dose performance in printing/dyeing and high-COD wastewater. HPAM is the standard polymer-flooding chemistry for oilfield enhanced oil recovery. PAA is a low-MW analog for builder and scale-inhibitor service.
Industry-Specific Grades — Paper, Mining, Oilfield, Sugar(0)
Application-tuned formulations where standard PAM/PAC doesn't fit. Paper-grade APAM/CPAM act as retention/drainage aid (not flocculation); mining-grade APAM has ultra-high MW for tailings settling; sugar-grade PAM is food-contact compliant; PAC-R is the cellulose ether variant for drilling-fluid viscosity control.
Natural & Specialty Flocculants(0)
Bio-sourced and niche alternatives — chitosan for food-grade or drinking-water polishing where synthetic PAM is restricted; guar gum for mining; humic acid and ceramic deflocculants for ceramic-slurry applications.
Imported Brand → China Equivalent
Equivalents are indicative; verify against TDS for project-critical applications.
| International Brand Grade | China Equivalent | Major Chinese Producers |
|---|---|---|
| BASF Zetag 8868 FS40 (CPAM 40%) | Cationic PAM 40% Mw 8M | 山东诺尔生物 (Norit), 巩义恒泰, 安徽巨成 |
| BASF Zetag 4145 / Magnafloc LT22S | Cationic PAM 50% Mw 6M (sludge dewatering) | 山东诺尔生物, 河北邯郸顺天, 安徽巨成 |
| SNF Flopam AN923 (APAM Mw 12M) | Anionic PAM 25% Mw 12M (mining) | 山东诺尔生物, 巩义恒泰, 东营信亨 |
| SNF Flopam AN934 (HPAM EOR) | HPAM Mw 18M (oilfield) | 东营信亨, 山东诺尔生物, 北京恒聚 |
| Kemira Superfloc N-100 (NPAM) | Nonionic PAM Mw 8M | 巩义恒泰, 河北邯郸顺天 |
| BASF Polyfloc 30N (PAC 30% Al₂O₃) | PAC 30% Al₂O₃ basicity 70–90% | 巩义市净水材料 (cluster), 河南瑞洁, 河南豫润 |
| Kemira PIX-313 (FeCl₃ 40%) | FeCl₃ 40% solution | 山东天力净水, 江苏聚仕 |
| Solenis Praestol K144L (polyDADMAC) | PolyDADMAC 40% Mw 200K | 山东诺尔生物, 河北邯郸顺天, 滨州龙马 |
| Solenis Praestol 2510 (Polyamine) | Polyamine epi-DMA Mw 200K | 山东诺尔生物, 河北邯郸顺天 |
| Kurita 8-105 (Paper retention APAM) | Paper-grade APAM 15M (retention aid) | 杭州海福德, 山东诺尔生物 |
| BASF Polymin SK (PEI cationic) | PEI / Polyethyleneimine | 巴斯夫 (大化股份), 沃克化学 (Vinch) |
Frequently Asked Questions
▶APAM, CPAM, NPAM — which polyacrylamide should I use?
Choose APAM (anionic) for mineral / acidic / negatively-charged solids; CPAM (cationic) for organic sludges and biological wastewater; NPAM (nonionic) for neutral colloidal suspensions and drinking water polishing.
APAM, CPAM, NPAM — which polyacrylamide should I use?
Choose APAM (anionic) for mineral / acidic / negatively-charged solids; CPAM (cationic) for organic sludges and biological wastewater; NPAM (nonionic) for neutral colloidal suspensions and drinking water polishing.
▶Why does PAM molecular weight matter? When do I need 25M Mw vs 5M Mw?
Higher molecular weight gives stronger bridging and faster settling, but at the cost of higher dissolution time, more shear-sensitivity, and steeper viscosity at solution concentration. Use ultra-high Mw (18–25M) for mining tailings and oilfield EOR; medium Mw (8–12M) for municipal sewage and sludge; low Mw (5–8M) for drinking water polish.
Why does PAM molecular weight matter? When do I need 25M Mw vs 5M Mw?
Higher molecular weight gives stronger bridging and faster settling, but at the cost of higher dissolution time, more shear-sensitivity, and steeper viscosity at solution concentration. Use ultra-high Mw (18–25M) for mining tailings and oilfield EOR; medium Mw (8–12M) for municipal sewage and sludge; low Mw (5–8M) for drinking water polish.
▶PAC vs Alum vs PFS — which inorganic coagulant should I choose?
PAC for general-purpose municipal & drinking water (best cost-performance, mild pH effect); Alum for established alum-equipped plants and low-color water; PFS for high-color, high-phosphate, and printing/dyeing applications where iron-flocs are desired.
PAC vs Alum vs PFS — which inorganic coagulant should I choose?
PAC for general-purpose municipal & drinking water (best cost-performance, mild pH effect); Alum for established alum-equipped plants and low-color water; PFS for high-color, high-phosphate, and printing/dyeing applications where iron-flocs are desired.
▶What is the standard process: should I use coagulant first or flocculant first?
Always coagulant first (PAC / Alum / FeCl₃) to destabilize colloids by charge neutralization, then polymer flocculant (PAM) second to bridge destabilized particles into large settleable flocs. The two-stage sequence is non-negotiable.
What is the standard process: should I use coagulant first or flocculant first?
Always coagulant first (PAC / Alum / FeCl₃) to destabilize colloids by charge neutralization, then polymer flocculant (PAM) second to bridge destabilized particles into large settleable flocs. The two-stage sequence is non-negotiable.
▶How do I optimize PAM dosing for sludge dewatering?
Run CST (Capillary Suction Time) or specific resistance to filtration (SRF) jar tests across a dose ladder (1, 3, 5, 8, 12 kg PAM per ton dry solids). The optimum is the lowest dose where cake solids reach 18–25% (belt press) or 25–35% (centrifuge/screw press).
How do I optimize PAM dosing for sludge dewatering?
Run CST (Capillary Suction Time) or specific resistance to filtration (SRF) jar tests across a dose ladder (1, 3, 5, 8, 12 kg PAM per ton dry solids). The optimum is the lowest dose where cake solids reach 18–25% (belt press) or 25–35% (centrifuge/screw press).
▶PolyDADMAC and polyamine — when do these beat PAM?
Use polyDADMAC or polyamine when you need high charge density at low dose — high-COD industrial wastewater (printing/dyeing, oil refinery, food-processing), where their concentrated cationic groups neutralize organic-laden colloids more efficiently than even high-cationic PAM.
PolyDADMAC and polyamine — when do these beat PAM?
Use polyDADMAC or polyamine when you need high charge density at low dose — high-COD industrial wastewater (printing/dyeing, oil refinery, food-processing), where their concentrated cationic groups neutralize organic-laden colloids more efficiently than even high-cationic PAM.
▶What is HPAM, and how is it different from regular APAM?
HPAM (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) is APAM with elevated hydrolysis degree (25–35%) and ultra-high molecular weight (15–25M Daltons), engineered specifically for oilfield polymer flooding (enhanced oil recovery) — not water treatment.
What is HPAM, and how is it different from regular APAM?
HPAM (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) is APAM with elevated hydrolysis degree (25–35%) and ultra-high molecular weight (15–25M Daltons), engineered specifically for oilfield polymer flooding (enhanced oil recovery) — not water treatment.
▶Can I use chitosan or guar gum for drinking water instead of synthetic PAM?
Yes — chitosan is FDA / EU / FSSAI approved as a coagulant aid for drinking water and food-processing applications. Guar gum works in mining but is not drinking-water grade. Both have lower flocculation efficiency than synthetic PAM at 3–5× higher dose.
Can I use chitosan or guar gum for drinking water instead of synthetic PAM?
Yes — chitosan is FDA / EU / FSSAI approved as a coagulant aid for drinking water and food-processing applications. Guar gum works in mining but is not drinking-water grade. Both have lower flocculation efficiency than synthetic PAM at 3–5× higher dose.
▶What documents are available — COA, MSDS, TDS?
Yes — Certificate of Analysis (COA), Safety Data Sheet (SDS/MSDS), and Technical Data Sheet (TDS) are provided standard. For food-contact, drinking-water, and pharmaceutical applications, additional regulatory compliance letters (FDA, EU 10/2011, NSF/ANSI 60, GB 17514) are available.
What documents are available — COA, MSDS, TDS?
Yes — Certificate of Analysis (COA), Safety Data Sheet (SDS/MSDS), and Technical Data Sheet (TDS) are provided standard. For food-contact, drinking-water, and pharmaceutical applications, additional regulatory compliance letters (FDA, EU 10/2011, NSF/ANSI 60, GB 17514) are available.
▶What is the minimum order quantity and what are the standard packaging options?
Starter samples 1–5 kg; standard commercial MOQ 1 metric ton (PAM powder) or 25 metric tons (PAC liquid / inorganic coagulants). Packaging: 25 kg woven bags (PAM powder), 1 t IBC totes (liquid PAC/PFS), 25 t ISO tank (bulk liquid).
What is the minimum order quantity and what are the standard packaging options?
Starter samples 1–5 kg; standard commercial MOQ 1 metric ton (PAM powder) or 25 metric tons (PAC liquid / inorganic coagulants). Packaging: 25 kg woven bags (PAM powder), 1 t IBC totes (liquid PAC/PFS), 25 t ISO tank (bulk liquid).
▶How do Chinese prices compare to BASF Zetag, SNF Flopam, Kemira Superfloc, Solenis Praestol?
Chinese-origin PAM and PAC are typically 35–60% lower CIF than equivalent international brand grades, with the gap widest on commodity APAM/CPAM/PAC and narrowing for specialty grades (HPAM EOR, polyDADMAC, sugar-grade PAM).
How do Chinese prices compare to BASF Zetag, SNF Flopam, Kemira Superfloc, Solenis Praestol?
Chinese-origin PAM and PAC are typically 35–60% lower CIF than equivalent international brand grades, with the gap widest on commodity APAM/CPAM/PAC and narrowing for specialty grades (HPAM EOR, polyDADMAC, sugar-grade PAM).
▶What is the sample policy?
Free 100–500 g samples of PAM powder available on company letterhead inquiry; PAC liquid samples up to 5 L are also free. Courier charges (DHL Express) at buyer's account for non-DHL-account buyers.
What is the sample policy?
Free 100–500 g samples of PAM powder available on company letterhead inquiry; PAC liquid samples up to 5 L are also free. Courier charges (DHL Express) at buyer's account for non-DHL-account buyers.