Scale inhibition in industrial water systems using chitosan‐alginate mixture
E. Khamis, D.E. Abd‐El‐Khalek, Mervat A. Abdel‐Kawi, J. M. Anwar
Abstract
Abstract The study aims to establishing the possibility of using eco‐friendly natural polymers to formulate scale inhibitor for industrial water applications. The performance of a blend of two natural polymers, chitosan and sodium alginate as scale inhibitor in comparison with a commercially available inhibitor formulation, HEDP (Hydroxyethylidene, 1‐Diphosphonic Acid), is carried out using electrochemical measurements, conductivity and NACE test complemented with crystals morphology characterization using optical and electronic microscopic examination. Overall results show that chitosan is more efficient for the inhibition of calcium carbonate scales formation, whilst it has poor efficiency in the inhibition of sulfate scales, whereas sodium alginate has the highest efficiency in inhibiting calcium sulfate scales. However, the addition of sodium alginate to chitosan, as a package, has a dual control effect on carbonate and sulfate scale formation with good efficiency compared to HEDP. This new phosphorus‐free package represents an effective antiscalant to have green environment.