Microwave assisted synthesis of poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) grafted agar (Ag-g-P(HEMA)) and its application as a focculant for wastewater treatment

Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) chains were grafted onto the backbone of agar using a microwave assisted method involving a combination of microwave irradiation and ceric ammonium nitrate to initiate the grafting reaction.The synthesized graft copolymers were characterized by intrinsic viscosity measurements,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,elemental analysis(C,H,N,O and S) and scanning electron microscopy.Ag-g-P(HEMA)-2 showed a much higher focculation effcacy than agar.The optimized dosage of focculation for Ag-g-P(HEMA)-2 in the wastewater was found to be 0.75 ppm.Compared to agar,Ag-g-P(HEMA)-2 was found to considerably reduce the pollutant load in the wastewater.