Formation of Al30 aggregates and its correlation to the coagulation effect

Al30 is the polycation with the highest degree of polymerization and surface charge in the currently known structural aluminum species. It shows excellent coagulation performance in water treatment process, and has the characteristics of wide application range of pH and dosage. pH value is one of the most important factors affecting the aggregation and coagulation process of Al30, but the influence of Al30 aggregation reaction on its coagulation effect is still unclear. Therefore, this article reports the deprotonation and aggregation reaction of Al30 by adjusting the basicity (B) of the solution, particularly to further understand the coagulation mechanism of Al30 under different conditions. The results showed that in the base titration process, when B 2.86, the size of Al30 aggregates (Al30agg) increased rapidly, forming gels and gradually transforming into Al(OH)3. In this process, in addition to the reduction of electrostatic repulsion induced by Al30 deprotonation, the oligomers generated by the partial dissociation of Al30 also play the role of bridging-connection. Under the experimental titration conditions, the Al30agg always maintained a positive zeta potential. In addition, Al30 can deprotonate and aggregate at lower pH, which is an important reason for its unique coagulation characteristics. The larger structure size of Al30 also made it easy to form branched aggregates, so that it can play an effective role in a wider dosage range without destabilization of colloids. This study gives an insight in the advancement of coagulants and promotes the industrial application and commercialization of functional coagulants based on polyaluminum. •The process of Al30 aggregation and structural transformation was investigated.•Belt η-H2O in Al30 was the most active site for deprotonation and ion exchange.•The aggregation process of Al30 was divided into three sections.•Structure of Al30 kept stable in aggregating process.•Aggregation of Al30 influence its coagulation mechanism under different conditions.