POLYACRYLAMIDE APPLICATION TO STORMWATER TO INCREASE SEDIMENT DEPOSITION
Open Access
- Author:
- Cogan, Cody Clair
- Area of Honors:
- Environmental Resource Management
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Albert R Jarrett, Thesis Supervisor
Albert R Jarrett, Thesis Supervisor
Robert David Shannon, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Polyacrylamide
stormwater
sediment
deposition - Abstract:
- ABSTRACT The dissolvability of APS #707 Silt Stop material at varying concentrations and the effectiveness of active Polyacrylamide (PAM) concentrations when introduced to a 1000 ppm concentration of Hagerstown soil were evaluated in a laboratory. APS #707 Silt Stop is a manufactured substance containing a variation of the acrylamide unit that dissolves in solution and is effective in chemically causing flocculation of sediments. The dissolvability of the APS #707 material was determined through dissolution of high (200 ppm) and low (50 ppm) concentrations in distilled water. Through the use of filtration and drying equipment the percent dissolvability of the APS #707 material was determined to be 36.48%, indicating that the amount of PAM contained was 36.48% of the mass introduce to solution. The effectiveness of active PAM concentrations to flocculate suspended soil particles was determined through the application the dissolvability data acquired in the preceding experimentation. Active PAM concentrations of 1 ppm to 750 ppm were added to a 1000 ppm solution of Hagaerstown soil and tested through a modified jar test. The experiment procedure was designed to simulate the water movement and energies characteristic of a settling basin commonly found on construction sites. The most effective and immediate flocculation and clearing of the water occurred at an active PAM concentration of 100 ppm. The use of PAM in conjunction with existing stormwater control practices can greatly improve the quality of leaving a disturbance site. The reduction of sediments entering natural waterways reduces nutrient loading, turbidity, and the impact of anthropogenic action on aquatic ecosystems.