Flocculation properties of a natural polyampholyte: The optimum condition toward clay suspensions

Polyelectrolytes are commonly used as flocculants in drinking water treatment. However the growing concerns about their toxicity have motivated the search for biocompatible flocculants. Here, we show that gelatin, a natural amphoteric polyelectrolyte, can be effectively adsorbed on clay surfaces and can potentially be a suitable substitute for existing flocculants. The adsorption of gelatin from its aqueous solution onto the mineral clay surfaces at different conditions was systematically investigated using the design of experiments methodology. The gelatin adsorption was found to vary considerately with pH variation showed a maximum adsorption at its isoelectric point. The amount of adsorbed gelation increased with increasing pH from 3 to 5, attained a maximum at pH 5 and then decreased with increasing pH from 5 to 11. Similarly, the amount of adsorbed gelatin showed decreasing trends around salt concentration of 0.05 M and temperature $35^{\circ}C$. On the other hand, the adsorption was continuously increased with time and polymer concentration in the range of 0.1-0.9 mg/dL. Finally, the jar tests confirmed the ability of gelatin for using a natural flocculant for water treatment.