Effect of pH on the Flocculation of SDS Micelles by Al³⁺

Abstract

SDS micelles flocculate in the presence of Al³⁺, creating an aggregate with pollutant-removing properties. The fraction of SDS micelles flocculating depends on the concentrations of SDS and Al³⁺. This paper describes how this fraction also changes with pH. There are two reasons for this dependence: a change in pH has a strong effect in the solution chemistry of Al³⁺, converting it into the compound [Al₁₃O₄(OH)₂₄]⁷⁺, a strong flocculant, or precipitating it as Al(OH)₃; and at low pH protons may compete with Al³⁺ as binding counter-ions for micelles. An increase in pH allows flocculation of SDS at high concentrations of Al³⁺, which under unmodified pH does not occur. Micelle flocculates are reported in this work to exist between pH 5 and pH 8, suggesting the potential use of Adsorptive Micellar Flocculation for the removal of anionic pollutants from waste waters not necessarily limited to acidic solutions.