Precautions for Polyacrylamide Application in Summer
02-06-2026
As high temperatures prevail in summer, water and ambient temperatures rise significantly, which greatly changes the dissolution speed, activity, flocculation performance and dosage of polyacrylamide (PAM). To ensure stable results in sewage treatment and sludge dewatering, avoid reagent waste and substandard treatment efficiency, targeted adjustments to PAM application processes are particularly essential in summer. This article summarizes key PAM usage precautions for winter and summer, with a special focus on summer-specific operational requirements based on temperature-induced performance differences.
Temperature is a core factor affecting the performance of polyacrylamide, as temperature fluctuations directly influence its viscosity and activity. In winter, low air and water temperatures reduce the viscosity and activity of PAM. For the same sewage and sludge treatment conditions, a slightly higher PAM dosage is required to achieve standard treatment results. In summer, rising ambient and water temperatures enhance the molecular activity and aqueous solution viscosity of PAM, accelerating its dissolution efficiency. Under stable water quality conditions, the PAM dosage can be appropriately reduced to effectively control costs and prevent residual reagent excess.
1. Key Usage Notes for Cationic Polyacrylamide in Summer
Cationic polyacrylamide is mainly applied to organic sludge dewatering in sewage treatment. High summer temperatures accelerate the reproduction of microorganisms in water, leading to rapid growth of organic sludge and drastic fluctuations in sludge properties, with far more obvious changes in water quality and sludge concentration compared with winter.
Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor on-site changes in water quality and sludge conditions in summer. Timely fine-tune the reagent dosage and select cationic polyacrylamide with an appropriate ionic degree according to the sludge moisture content and organic matter content, so as to dynamically meet dewatering process requirements and prevent incomplete sludge dewatering and deteriorated flocculation effects.
2. Key Usage Notes for Anionic Polyacrylamide in Summer
Anionic polyacrylamide is mostly used for inorganic sludge flocculation and sewage clarification, and its dissolution time is greatly affected by seasonal temperature changes. Verified by multiple seasonal dissolution tests conducted by our factory: in low-temperature winter conditions, anionic PAM takes 60 to 120 minutes to dissolve completely; while in hot summer weather, the dissolution time is reduced by one-third, only requiring 40 to 60 minutes for full dissolution.
Based on this characteristic, the dissolution time must be strictly controlled in summer to avoid performance attenuation caused by excessive dissolution duration. Meanwhile, high temperatures improve the flocculation activity of PAM. The dosage ratio can be appropriately reduced during inorganic sludge treatment to optimize reagent costs while ensuring stable flocculation and sedimentation effects.
3. Summer-Specific Precautions for PAM Storage and Solution Maintenance
Summer features strong sunlight and high temperatures, which impose stricter requirements on the storage and residual solution maintenance of polyacrylamide, making it a key focus of daily management:
1. Solid PAM shall be stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated and dry warehouse, kept away from high-temperature heat sources to prevent moisture absorption and high-temperature failure of the reagent;
2. Unused prepared PAM aqueous solution must be sealed and covered properly. Direct sunlight and dust contamination must be avoided to prevent rapid loss of solution activity and degradation of flocculation performance, which may affect the stability of sewage treatment operations.