Application of Cationic Cassava Dregs as a Retention and Drainage Aid in Wet-end System

Cassava dregs contain nearly 38.41% of starch, which has a similar structure to that of a starch. It was found that the cassava dregs would have the same function as the cationic starch if cationic groups were introduced. In this study, cationic cassava dregs were synthesized with the laboratory methods and characterized by FT-IR. The factors affect the retention and drainage was investigated. The result showed that, at a dosage of 1.0% of the cationic cassava dregs, the retention of fines was higher than 90%, best flocculation efficiency occurred at pH 8.5 when the dosage of cationic cassava dregs was 1.5%. Cationic cassava dregs had good resistance against moderate shear force, less affected by the conductivity, and it also showed a good strength properties.