Emulsion polymerization of cationic monomers

A method of releasing water from activated sewage sludge which comprises steps of adding to the sludge from about 0.1 ppm to about 20 ppm of a cationic polymer prepared by forming an aqueous solution of from about 5% to about 95% by weight dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride and about 0.005 to about 5 mole %, based on the moles of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride of a copolymerizable, polyunsaturated cross-linking monomer selected from the group consisting of methylenebisacrylamide, methyl triallyl ammonium chloride and tetraallyl ammonium chloride, preparing a water-in-oil emulsion of said aqueous solution in a water insoluble liquid containing a surfactant, said water insoluble liquid being about 25% to about 90% by weight of the total emulsion and said surfactant being 0.5 percent to 10 percent by weight of the total emulsion, and heating the emulsion to a temperature sufficient to essentially completely polymerize the monomers in the presence of a free radical polymerization initiator, said free radical polymerization initiator being present in amounts from 10.sup..sup.-7 to 10.sup..sup.-1 mole per mole of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride, and filtering the sludge-polymer mixture.