Flocculants are one of the most essential tools in the hand of an environmental engineer or mineral processing technologist. However, most of the flocculants available in the market are polyacrylamide based. This always poses the threat of acrylamide release during the degradation process and also the chances of occluded acrylamide during synthesis. Acrylamide is a powerful neurotoxin and a teratogen. Our work endeavors to develop next-generation safer flocculants that are acrylamide free and hence are safer alternatives. Guar gum, an industrial crop native to the Indian subcontinent was grafted with monomer Diallyl Dimethyl Ammonium chloride (DADMAC) by microwave-assisted technique. This novel grafted product was characterized via standard physico-chemical techniques. The flocculation efficacy of the grafted biomaterial was studied through standard jar test and settling test procedures in standard kaolin and coal fine suspensions. Once superior flocculation properties of the grafted product were ascertained, it was studied as a flocculant for the destabilization of Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) from its suspension. This study endeavors the synthesis of a value-added product of guar gum with established efficacy towards nanoparticle destabilization properties.

絮凝剂是环境工程师或矿物加工技术人员手中最重要的工具之一。然而，市场上的大多数絮凝剂都是基于聚丙烯酰胺的。这总是会造成降解过程中丙烯酰胺释放的威胁，以及合成过程中吸留丙烯酰胺的机会。丙烯酰胺是一种强大的神经毒素和致畸剂。我们的工作致力于开发下一代更安全的不含丙烯酰胺的絮凝剂，因此是更安全的替代品。瓜尔豆胶是一种原产于印度次大陆的经济作物，通过微波辅助与单体二烯丙基二甲基氯化铵 (DADMAC) 接枝技术。这种新型接枝产品通过标准物理化学技术进行了表征。通过标准罐试验和标准高岭土和煤粉悬浮液的沉降试验程序研究了接枝生物材料的絮凝效果。一旦确定了接枝产物的优异絮凝特性，就将其作为絮凝剂进行研究，以使其悬浮液中的多壁碳纳米管 (MWCNT) 不稳定。本研究致力于合成瓜尔胶的增值产品，该产品对纳米颗粒的去稳定化特性具有确定的功效。