Science of Sintering (Jan 2014)

The influence of the addition of polymers on the physico-chemical properties of bentonite suspensions

  • Stojiljkovic S.,
  • Miljkovic V.,
  • Nikolic G.,
  • Kostic D.,
  • Arsic B.,
  • Barber J.,
  • Savic I.,
  • Savic I.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2298/SOS1401065S
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 46, no. 1
pp. 65 – 73

Abstract

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Bentonite clays have many applications in industries ranging from construction to cosmetics. Addition of polymers can profoundly influence the properties of bentonite suspensions and we now describe the influence of a range of different polymers. Whereas polyvinyl pyrolidone and soy isolate only slightly influenced the pH and the electrical conductivity of bentonite polymers in suspension, Carbopol solution caused decreases in both pH and electrical conductivity. As expected, strong electrolytes like sodium chloride caused big changes in the electrical conductivity of the suspensions. When the temperature of the bentonite suspensions was increased, the pH was almost unchanged, but the electrical conductivity increased. Bentonite treated with polymer suspensions can be used in purifying polluted water; for example, our results suggest that high pH caused by phosphorous salts can be addressed using bentonite modified with Carbopol. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije: Stanisa Stojiljkovic, Vojkan Miljkovic, Goran Nikolic, Ivana Savic and Ivan Savic, TR 34020, Danijela Kostic 172047 and Biljana Arsic 174007]

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