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Preparation and application of a phosphorous free and nonnitrogen scale inhibitor in industrial cooling water systems

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Abstract

A novel environmentally friendly type of calcium carbonate, zinc (II) and iron (III) scale inhibitor Acrylic acidallylpolyethoxy carboxylate copolymer (AAAPEL) was synthesized. The anti-scale property of the AA-APEL toward CaCO3, zinc (II) and iron (III) in the artificial cooling water was studied through static scale inhibition tests. The observation shows that both calcium carbonate, zinc (II) and iron (III) inhibition increase with increasing the dosage of AA-APEL. The effect on formation of CaCO3 was investigated with combination of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and fourier transform infrared spectrometer, respectively. The results showed that the AA-APEL copolymer not only influenced calcium carbonate crystal morphology and crystal size but also the crystallinity. The crystallization of CaCO3 in the absence of inhibitor was rhombohedral calcite crystal, whereas a mixture of calcite with vaterite crystals was found in the presence of the AAAPEL copolymer. Inhibition mechanism is proposed that the interactions between calcium or iron ions and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are the fundamental impetus to restrain the formation of the scale in cooling water systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China

    Guangqing Liu, Mengwei Xue, Jingyi Huang, Huchuan Wang, Yuming Zhou, Qingzhao Yao, Lei Ling, Ke Cao, Yahui Liu, Yunyun Bu & Yiyi Chen

  2. School of Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, 211171, China

    Guangqing Liu & Mengwei Xue

  3. Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing, 211189, China

    Yuming Zhou & Qingzhao Yao

  4. Jianghai Environmental Protection CO., Ltd., Changzhou, 213116, China

    Wendao Wu & Wei Sun

Authors
  1. Guangqing Liu
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  2. Mengwei Xue
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  3. Jingyi Huang
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  4. Huchuan Wang
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  5. Yuming Zhou
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  6. Qingzhao Yao
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  7. Lei Ling
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  8. Ke Cao
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  9. Yahui Liu
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  10. Yunyun Bu
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  11. Yiyi Chen
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  12. Wendao Wu
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  13. Wei Sun
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Correspondence to Yuming Zhou.

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Liu, G., Xue, M., Huang, J. et al. Preparation and application of a phosphorous free and nonnitrogen scale inhibitor in industrial cooling water systems. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 9, 545–553 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-014-0657-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-014-0657-x

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