A high performance anionic flocculant was synthesized by partial alkaline hydrolysis of polyacrylamide grafted tamarind kernel polysaccharide. Various macromolecular characterizations were employed to confirm that partial alkaline hydrolysis of grafted polyacrylamide chains does take place. The flocculation characteristics of the hydrolyzed and unhydrolyzed grafted products were carried out in kaolin suspension and municipal sewage wastewater and it has been found that hydrolyzed product outperforms the unhydrolyzed grafted TKP. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.