Preparation of cationic konjac glucomannan in NaOH/urea aqueous solution

Cationic derivatives of konjac glucomannan (KGM) were homogeneously synthesized by reacting KGM with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (CHPTAC) in NaOH/urea aqueous solutions. The derivatives were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and zeta potential analysis. The results showed that the degree of substitution (DS) of the CKGM with the value of 0.15-0.46 could be obtained by changing the molar ratio between KGM and CHPTAC. The TG/DTG revealed that the thermal stability of KGM after cationization was lower than that of raw KGM. Among a wide range of pH value, the zeta potential in CKGM solution was shown with positive charges. The flocculation capacity of the CKGM was assessed through Kaolin suspension using the light transmission test. The results exhibited that the CKGM had excellent flocculation performance and could be used as an emerging flocculant agent in the wastewater treatment.