Grinding Aids and Scale Control
BASF’s Solutrix™ dispersants for mineral slurries are effective dispersants and rheology modifiers for calcium carbonate, kaolin and other minerals suspensions. In wet grinding applications, the rheological behavior of mineral slurry is an indication of the level of interparticle interaction or aggregation in the slurry.
Along with other important slurry properties that affect the grinding of mineral slurries, such as solids concentration, particle size and temperature, the use of dispersants in grinding has a significant influence on slurry rheology. Therefore, rheology is a useful variable to be controlled in industrial processes such as wet grinding.
BASF’s Solutrix™ additives can improve the flow characteristics of high density slurries commonly found in grinding applications, allowing either more material to be ground with the same energy input or to grind more finely the same amount of material. High solid slurries can be produced with favorable rheological properties and this allows better pumpability. All these options help reduce the energy consumption in grinding.
Antiscalants and Descalants
While scale formation can often be greatly reduced (depending on the system chemistry) by the appropriate use of BASF Solutrix™ antiscalants, (Solutrix™ 11, 11(J) and 100) sooner or later there is nearly always a need to remove existing scale. Some scale minerals are amenable to acid cleaning and traditional strong mineral acids and weak organic acids have been used for this purpose for many years. Solutrix™ E is a product well suited to this application as it is a strong acid, dissociating completely for faster results than other organic acids, whilst being less corrosive and safer to handle than traditional mineral acids. Solutrix™ E has a primary area of application in the safe, efficient removal of scale from pipelines with minimal corrosion of the pipeline itself. There may also be additional areas of application such as descaling pumps, heat exchangers, tanks and mixers subject to appropriate safety procedures.
