Where Science Meets Agriculture

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What is all this talk about “polyacrylamide”? Well, polyacrylamide is a synthetic, potassium-based, long-chain polymer (same molecule repeating itself many times) designed to attract either positively charged particles (organic materials, such as carbon or human waste) or negatively charged particles (inert materials, such as sand or clay). CalPam AG Products has introduced some of the industry’s most innovative agricultural products in the form of our water-retaining polymer solutions. Polymers may be purchased in dry, emulsion, liquid, and tablet form.

 

PAM—Cleaner Water for Today and Tomorrow

 

“PAM” is an acronym for polyacrylamide. The acronym is often used in such a way as to imply that “PAM” is a single chemical product. There are innumerable varieties of “PAM”—not just one—and CalPAM AG Products offers several different PAM products. These chemical compounds were created to bring materials together to coagulate or flocculate suspended solids in order to extract them from water and wastewater. It has also been used to reduce soil movement (erosion). PAM cleans water and saves soil while keeping certain nutrients, pathogens, and pesticides from toxifying field and feedlot runoff.

Every soil or water body has a “chemical footprint” that attracts a specific polymer. The various polymers are differentiated by type, molecular weight, and charge density. When a polymer is developed to bond perfectly with a body of water or soil, it will work most effectively.

 

The History of Polyacrylamide

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Polyacrylamide was first used during World War II by the US military to stabilize newly built runways. This practical and scientifically proven technology made its way into the private sector, where it was further refined and developed for commercial use since the passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972. PAM was first used commercially in irrigated agriculture in the U.S. in 1995. By 2001, more than 2 million acres of farmland had been treated with PAM.

Speak to one of our polymer experts today. We are proud to offer the sustainable, economical solutions you require.