The application of natural sedimentation for the dispersion of polyacrylamide microspheres

The research objectives of this paper consist of development of appropriate apparatus and process to apply natural sedimentation for preparing polyacrylamide microspheres industrially. The kettle height of the apparatus should be higher than 2 m to provide adequate sedimentation distance for microspheres, and the inner wall of kettle was made by non-polar materials to prevent microspheres from adhering to the wall. The natural sedimentation was used to replace dispersant to maintain the dispersion. Affordable, non-toxic and non-pollutant corn oil was used as the dispersion medium. Furthermore, single factor synthesis and multi-factor analysis of variance were used to optimize the process.