Hyperbranched polyesters with carboxylic acid functional groups for the inhibition of the calcium carbonate scale

Abstract

ABSTRACTScale deposits exist widely in industrial water‐cooling systems and oil‐production systems, causing severe damage to the equipment. The most effective way to prevent the formation of scale has been to use an inhibitor. The use of a hyperbranched polymer as an inhibitor, however, has rarely been reported. In this study, we prepared a hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched polyester (HBPE–OH) with trimethyloypropane as the core and 2,2‐bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid as an AB2 monomer. The HBPE–OH was then modified with succinic anhydride to obtain the carboxyl‐terminated hyperbranched polyester (HBPE–COOH). The effects of the dosage, Ca2+ concentration, pH value, and temperature of the system on the inhibition efficiency were investigated when HBPE–COOH was used as an inhibitor of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) scale. HBPE–COOH acted as a good antiscaling inhibitor for CaCO3; when the polyester concentration was 200 mg/L, the scale inhibition rate exceeded 70%. Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray powder diffraction demonstrated that the mechanism of inhibition was the disturbance of the growth of the crystals and modification of the crystal morphology by the hyperbranched polyester. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46292.