Modified natural polymer flocculants has been the focus of research in environmental engineering field. Natural large molecular compound, chitosan (CTS) with many functional amino and hydroxyl groups can be easily modified to enhance its original functions. This work presents an environmentally friendly chitosan-based cationic polyacrylamide flocculants (CTS-g-PAMA) with enhanced function of sterilization and flocculation. CTS-g-PAMA was synthesized through Ultraviolet (UV)-initiated copolymerization. Structure characterization of FTIR, H-1 NMR, XRD and UV spectrum confirmed the successful grafting of AM and MAPTAC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis results showed that CTS-g-PAMA exhibited a porous structure with a prodigious surface area. CTS-g-PAMA was then applied to treat a series of simulated waste water containing kaolin or Escherichia coli. Flocculation tests indicated that CTS-g-PAMA not only showed excellent flocculation effect but also showed high sterilization capability. A series of ONP concentration measurement tests through UV spectra analysis and 3D EEM analysis of suspension before and after flocculation were conducted to study sterilization mechanism, and results revealed the sterilization effect of CTS-g-PAMA was essentially bactericidal, not just antibacterial. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.