FAQ
What can the Polymer Blocks remove from water?
Can the Polymer Blocks remove dissolved material from water?
Could application of this product harm plants or animals in the environment?
Is there a chance that the polymer might over-dose and cause toxicity issues?
What happens to the particles bound by the Polymer products?
How do the anionic polyacrylamide molecules degrade?
What are the products of Polyacrylamide degradation?
How do I order the product?
My project has a problem with hydrocarbons. Can the Polymer Blocks remove them?
How do I find out more information about how much your product costs?
There are many water clarification and erosion control products on the market, why should I use your Polymer products?
How does your product differ from cationic polymers?
How does your product compare to Chitosan?
Why choose your Polymer Block over polyaluminum chloride?
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The Polymer Blocks remove soil particles such as clay, sand and silt; as well as the contaminants that may be attached to the particles such as nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients, metals and hydrocarbons.
Can the Water Lynx products remove dissolved material from water?
Yes, results have shown reductions in dissolved metals in many applications; however, these results vary depending on water chemistry and the metals present. Dissolved material is removed using the coordination of charges on the metal ions and the charges on the polyacrylamide chain.
Could application of this product harm plants or animals in the environment?
No, when used according to our recommendations, Water Lynx products are non-toxic and environmentally safe. The negatively charged (anionic) polymer molecules are too large to bioaccumulate, and, unlike positively charged (cationic) polymers, will not suffocate fish or other aquatic organisms. Both EPA and Environment Canada-certified toxicity tests on fish (fathead minnow, rainbow trout), water fleas, and algae have been conducted on the anionic PAMs supplied by Clearflow.
Is there a chance that the polymer might over-dose and cause toxicity issues?
No, the Water Lynx polymer blocks are designed to release polymer in turbulent flow. If water is stagnant, the polymer blocks will swell but the polymer will stay localized around the log itself. Organisms will stay away from this area because it is very viscous, like a blob of jelly. When the water flow increases (for example, due to spring runoff or manual pumping) the hydrated polymer block will slowly dissolve and self-dose to a safe, effective level in the water.
Water Lynx & Soil Lynx, when applied, bind to the soil and/or natural material, such as jute.
What happens to the particles bound by Water Lynx products?
The polymer will hold the sediments and contaminants until the polyacrylamide degrades. The anionic polyacrylamide degrades at a slow pace slowly releasing the sediments and contaminants at much lower, safer levels for the environment.
Alternatively, the flocculated material can be manually removed, either by removing the jute fabric or other material it was bound to, or by manual removal of the flocculated sediment itself. The client may wish to remove the flocculated sediment if it is known to contain high levels of contaminant, or for maintenance needs.
How do the anionic polyacrylamide molecules degrade?
Like all other polyacrylamide products, polymers supplied by Clearflow may be degraded by a number of different processes, such as:
- Photo-degradation by ultraviolet rays in sunlight
- Chemical degradation by very acidic or basic conditions
- Mechanical degradation physically rips the polymer chain into shorter length chains
- Biological degradation by bacteria in soil or water
What are the by-products of polyacrylamide degradation?
Photo and mechanical degradation results in the production of shorter chained polyacrylamide chains, which may result in reduced flocculation of suspended sediment or less efficient erosion control. Bacteria, on the other hand, are able to remove the amide group from the polymer chain, resulting in the formation of polyacrylate (a carbon backbone). The amide group is converted to ammonia and used by bacteria as a nitrogen source. In each of these different degradation scenarios, the polymer is eventually mineralized, i.e. broken down into water and carbon dioxide. Importantly, scientific evidence indicates that polyacrylamide is not broken down into its toxic monomer, acrylamide, under environmental conditions.
How do I order the product?
You may order the product either by contacting us directly via the information in the side bar or by contacting one of our distributors.
My project has a problem with hydrocarbons. Can Water Lynx remove them?
Small amounts of hydrocarbons attached to the soil particles can be removed from the water. Larger amounts of hydrocarbons can also be treated using different pre-treatment techniques.
How do I find out more information about how much your product costs?
For more information on product costs, please contact a distributor located in your area.
There are many water clarification & erosion control products on the market, why should I use your products?
We have found that when it comes to polyacrylamide products used for erosion control and flocculation, one size does not necessarily fit all. The efficacy of a polyacrylamide product can be affected by such site-specific properties as soil lithology and water chemistry. In fact, if the polymer product is not having the desired effect, other companies commonly resort to adding more product.
Our products are designed to be site specific and enivonmentally friendly. For free, our company will match your soil or water sample to the most effective polymer product, assuring that the product used is the best match for your site soil and water chemistry. This will not only bring peace of mind that the product will indeed work effectively on your site, but also reduces the total amount of product needed to be purchased by the client.
How does your product differ from cationic polymers?
Unlike cationic (positive charge) polymer products, anionic (negative charge) polyacrylamide products are environmentally friendly and can be used in situ and discharged into sensitive environments. All products have undergone regulatory testing, and we are so confident in the safety of our products that we have included both our MSDS and toxicity testing files on our website.
How does your product compare to Chitosan?
Other flocculation products, such as chitosan, can be highly toxic to aquatic life under certain conditions (Bullock et al., 2000). Furthermore, chitosan has been shown to be only marginally effective in reducing soil erosion in field tests, whereas polyacrylamide products successfully reduced erosion by greater than 90% (Orts et al 2000).
Why choose your Water Lynx & Soil Lynx products over polyaluminum chloride?
Polyaluminum chloride (PAC), another commonly used flocculation product, can release high levels of aluminum ions into the environment. Under acidic conditions, aluminum can be very toxic to aquatic life such as fish (Exley et al., 1991; Verbost et al. 1992). Our anionic polyacrylamide products are non-toxic and safe to use in the environment when used according to our recommendations.
References:
Bullock G, Blazer V, Tsukuda S & Summerfelt S (2000). Toxicity of acidified chitosan for cultured rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquaculture 185, 273-280.
Exley C, Chappell JS & Birchall JD (1991). A mechanism for acute aluminum toxicology in fish. Journal of Theoretical Biology 151 (3), 417-428.
Orts WJ, Sojka RE & Glen GM (2000). Biopolymer additives to reduce erosion-induced soil losses during irrigation. Industrial Crops and Products 11,19-29.
Verbost PM, Lafeber FP, Spannings FA, Aarden EM & Wendelaar Bonga SE (1992). Inhibition of Ca2+ uptake in freshwater carp, Cyprinus carpio, during short-term exposure to aluminum. Journal of Experimental Zoology 262 (3), 247-254.
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