Flocculants play a significant role in flocculation and sludge
dewatering processes for the removal of solids and reduction of
sludge volume in wastewater treatment (Wang et al., 2013). Inorganic
flocculants (e.g. metal salts) and organic polymeric flocculants
(e.g. polyacrylamide) are commonly used in the treatment of
water and industrial effluents. Among various types of chemical
flocculants, polyacrylamide-based flocculants with high molecular
weight (typically >106) have gained wide popularity due to their
flocculating efficiency in the removal of pollutants
(generally > 90%) and formation of strong and dense flocs at very
low dosage (Singh et al., 2000).