Graft copolymers of carboxymethylcellulose and polyacrylamide were synthesized by a ceric-ion-induced solution polymerization technique. By the variation of the monomer and catalyst concentrations, six grades of graft copolymers were synthesized. The synthesized graft copolymers were characterized with intrinsic viscosity measurements, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometry. The flocculation characteristics of the graft copolymers were studied in kaolin (5 wt %), iron-ore (10 wt %), and silica (10 wt %) suspensions. The flocculation characteristics of the best performing graft copolymer were then compared with those of various commercially available flocculants. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.