The possibility of using polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes to treat wastewater contaminated with fats was investigated. A number of cationic (co)polyelectrolytes were synthesized and combined with sodium dodecyl sulfate to produce complexes for separation fats from aqueous solution. By performing turbidity measurements and chemical analysis, it was shown that the lyophilizing capacity of the macromolecule defined the efficiency of the complex. The complex based on polytrimethyl(methacryloyloxyethyl)ammonium methyl sulfate was found to be the most effective, achieving a 93% reduction in fat content, which demonstrated its great potential for use in wastewater treatment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.