Scale Inhibition Mechanism Research Articles

Evaluation of a novel non-ionic graft starch-based antiscalant in reduction of CaSO4 scaling by static and reverse osmosis test

A novel nonionic starch-based antiscalant (St-g-GMA) was designed and obtained by graft copolymerization of starch and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). St-g-GMA not only achieved an obvious reduction of CaSO4 scaling in static test, but also effectively mitigated the flux decrease in dynamic reverse osmosis (RO) system. This improvement is ascribed to the grafted poly(GMA) chains on St-g-GMA. A suitable grafting ratio of this starch-based antiscalant achieve a high performance cost in control of CaSO4 scaling. Combination of the apparent antiscaling performance, observation under scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy unit, x-ray diffraction pattern, conductivity measurement, and dispersion experiment, the scale-inhibition mechanism of St-g-GMA was investigated and mainly attributed to chelation, dispersion and lattice distortion effects. The oxygen-containing groups on poly(GMA) chains such as epoxy groups can chelate with Ca2+, causing the induction time of crystallization prolonged; St-g-GMA with the distinct branched chain configuration can well disperse the formed microcrystal of CaSO4. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that the grafted poly(GMA) chains well bind to the crystal surfaces and the oxygen-containing groups could even enter the crystal lattice to inhibit the crystal growth and change the morphologies. St-g-GMA still mitigated the flux decrease notably in treatment of a synthetic seawater during a 24-h RO measurement. This study provided an efficient, environmentally-friendly and low-cost antiscalant with high application potentials.

Triple effective water treatment agent: P(AA/AMPS) capped sulfur quantum dots boast remarkable antiscale, antibacterial, and real-time tracking capabilities

Recent research has explored nanomaterials as sustainable scale inhibitors for water treatment. This research specifically delved into the development of environmentally benign antimicrobial sulfur quantum dot scale inhibitors (P(AA/AMPS)-SQDs) by capping P(AA/AMPS) with varying molecular weights. The synthesized P(AA/AMPS)-SQDs underwent thorough characterization employing high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and zeta potential analysis. The inhibitory efficacy of P(AA/AMPS)-SQDs on calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) scale formation was conducted under diverse conditions, including scale inhibitor concentration, reaction time, temperature, and pH using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. Remarkably, the water agent P(AA/AMPS)-SQDs showcased exceptional fluorescence, water solubility, and resilience to high temperatures. At specified concentrations, P(AA/AMPS)-SQDs demonstrated remarkable inhibition efficiencies, with over 98 % inhibition against the CaCO3 scale at 20 mg/L and over 97 % inhibition against the CaSO4 scale at 0.5 mg/L, significantly outperforming traditional scale inhibitors. Furthermore, P(AA/AMPS)-SQDs exhibited almost 100 % inhibition efficiency against Bacillus subtilis at a dosage of 150 mg/L. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulation and quantum chemical calculations were employed to clarify the scale inhibition mechanisms of P(AA/AMPS)-SQDs. This multifunctional water treatment agent, integrating scale inhibition, antimicrobial properties, and online monitoring capabilities, lays a solid foundation for potential applications in engineering domains.

Scale inhibition mechanism of itaconic acid-sodium methacrylate sulfonate on calcite: Quantum chemical calculation and molecular dynamics simulation

In order to explore the scale inhibition mechanism of green scale inhibitor-itaconic acid-sodium methacrylate sulfonate (IA-SMAS) on calcium carbonate (CaCO3), the scale inhibition characteristics of IA-SMAS were studied by quantum chemical calculation and molecular dynamics simulation. The charge distribution, electrostatic potential distribution, geometric matching degree and frontier molecular orbital energy of IA-SMAS were analyzed by quantum chemical calculation. It was found that IA-SMAS molecules have the ability to bind to Ca2+ at the micro level, occupy the growth active sites of crystal during the growth of calcite crystal planes, and inhibit the normal growth of crystal. Based on the molecular dynamics simulation method, the effects of IA-SMAS concentration on the adsorption configuration, radial distribution function and interaction energy in the binding process of IA-SMAS with calcite crystal planes were analyzed. The results show that the area of calcite crystal planes covered by IA-SMAS molecules, the peak value of radial distribution function and the binding energy increase with the increase of IA-SMAS concentration. However, the relative concentration of water molecules near the calcite crystal planes decreases, and the trend of water molecules moves away from the crystal planes of calcite. It indicates that the high concentration of IA-SMAS molecules can occupy the position of water molecules, and enhance the scale inhibition efficiency. Therefore, the scale inhibition performance of IA-SAMS increases with the increase of its concentration in a certain range, and an appropriate increase in IA-SMAS concentration can effectively inhibit the growth of scale.

Scale inhibition mechanism of calcium sulfate by gum Arabic: Experimental testing, quantum chemical calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations

In this paper, the scale inhibition mechanism of gum arabic (GA) on calcium sulfate fouling is theoretically and experimentally investigated. A combination of experiments, quantum chemical calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations are carried out. The results demonstrated that GA has the potential to inhibit the precipitation process of calcium sulfate fouling significantly. As the concentration of GA increases, the scale inhibition efficiency also increases. Moreover, with a concentration of 6.8 g/L of calcium sulfate in the solution, it is shown that the scale inhibition efficiency of 1 g/L GA is 97.5 %. Additionally, it is noted that the variation in the solution pH does not significantly affect the GA scale inhibition effect. It was highlighted that carboxyl groups, hydroxyl groups, and ether bond oxygens in the GA molecule are the functional groups that exhibit scale inhibition. These groups serve as the low electronegativity regions with strong interactions with calcium ions. In addition, GA can be adsorbed on the active growth sites on the gypsum surfaces to form a dense, self-assembled barrier film. This film aids in inhibiting the calcium sulfate precipitation process. The findings of this study rank the scale inhibition of GA at different crystal surfaces as follows: gypsum (010) > gypsum (-111) > gypsum (120).

Insights into the silica scaling behaviors in membrane distillation and anti-scaling mechanism of functional polymers

Silica scaling imposes a significant limitation on the efficacy of membrane distillation (MD) in the treatment of hypersaline wastewater. The complex dynamic behaviors of silica at the membrane-water-air interface and the poor understanding of molecular-level anti-scaling mechanism hampers the development of effective antiscalants for mitigating silica scaling in MD. Despite using functional polymers to prevent silica polymerization, the inhibition mechanisms are unclear. Here, the kinetic process of silica scaling during MD and the potential anti-scaling mechanism of poly-ethylenimine (PEI) were investigated at the molecular level via molecular dynamics simulations. The investigation reveals that silica scales were more likely to adhere to the water-PTFE interface with a free energy potential well of -40.0 kJ mol−1 than that of the water-air interface with a -11.4 kJ mol−1 potential well. Silica scales falling at the water-air interface also migrated on the water-air interface until captured by the PTFE membrane. In this work, a representative functional amino-rich polymer PEI was constructed as silica inhibitors and its scale inhibition mechanism was elucidated. Notably, the inclusion of PEI increased the free-energy barriers for the silica polymerization reaction from 72.0 kJ mol−1 to 86.1 kJ mol−1, compared to scenarios without the antiscalants. Moreover, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) model of ΔGwater−silica was developed to predict the anti-scaling efficiencies of typical antiscalants based on machine learning method. These findings provide valuable insights into enhancing the efficiency of silica scaling mitigation strategies.

Synthesis, scale and corrosion inhibition evaluation and mechanism of 2-aminobenzimidazole modified polyaspartic acid

With the growing public concern for environmental preservation, this work employs environmentally friendly polyaspartic acid (PASP) as the main chain, to develop a green and efficient dual-function inhibitor with scale and corrosion inhibition. The new inhibitor PASP-2-A was synthesized by grafting 2-amino-benzimidazole (2-A) containing nitrogen heterocyclic into polysuccinimide under alkaline conditions. The corrosion inhibition of carbon steel and brass was determined by static test, polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It can be found that PASP-2-A had better scale inhibition performance than PASP under different conditions. The addition of 5 mg·L−1 PASP-2-A can almost 100% prevent the formation of CaCO3 scale. Molecular dynamics simulation results showed that PASP-2-A significantly destroys the crystal structure of CaCO3 scale due to the coordination between PASP-2-A and Ca2+ groups. The modified PASP scale inhibitor can prevent the growth of calcite (110) and (104) crystal faces, regulate the transformation of CaCO3 from stable calcite to more soluble spherical vaterite, making it less deposit. The electrochemical test results showed that the corrosion inhibition of PASP-2-A is greatly improved compared with PASP, and the corrosion inhibition of Q235 carbon steel increased about 40% at the dosage of 200 ppm. The corrosion inhibition efficiency of H62 brass in 3.5 wt% NaCl was 97.97% with 300 ppm PASP-2-A. Notably, due to its degradable nature, low toxicity, and affordability, PASP-2-A serves as an excellent inhibitor, exhibiting remarkable performance in both scale inhibition and corrosion inhibition. Consequently, it presents a promising avenue for further advancements in modified PASP.

Preparation and scale inhibition performance of modified polyaspartic acid (M-PASP)

Modified polyaspartic acid (M-PASP) was synthesized by modifying ammonia- polysuccinimide (ammonia-PSI) through a ring-opening reaction using a modifier derived from ethylenediamine, maleic anhydride, and NaOH. In addition to M-PASP, conventional polyaspartic acid (PASP) was also synthesized for comparison. The structure of conventional PASP and M-PASP were characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR. The influence of raw materials ratio, reaction temperature and reaction time on the intrinsic viscosity of M-PASP were investigated in detail. The static scale inhibition method was used to evaluate the scale inhibition performance. The results showed that M-PASP exhibited significantly superior scale inhibition performance against CaCO3 compared to conventional PASP. Additionally, it was observed that the scale inhibition rate of M-PASP on CaCO3 increased with increasing intrinsic viscosity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to examine the surface morphology and structure of CaCO3 crystals, respectively. The results revealed that the addition of M-PASP led to a reduction in the grain size of CaCO3 crystals and disruption of their surface morphology. In addition, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was utilized to analyze the interaction mechanism between the polymers and calcium carbonate crystals. Based on the findings, it was postulated that the scale inhibition mechanism of M-PASP against CaCO3 involves a comprehensive interplay of several factors, including chelation solubilization, dispersion aggregation and lattice distortion.

S-HGMS coupling with alkali precipitation for the scale inhibition in recirculating cooling water with high hardness: Performance, mechanism and field application

Recirculating cooling water (RCW) contains various scale-forming ions, such as Ca2+ and Mg2+, which tend to form the hard scale in the heat transfer process. In this study, a novel method via superconducting high-gradient magnetic separation (S-HGMS) coupling with alkali precipitation for scale inhibition in RCW was proposed, which could achieve efficient removal of total hardness (91.64 %). The scale inhibition mechanism of the S-HGMS coupling is attributed to the increase of ionic hydration shell thickness and the formation of hydrogen bonds, enhancing the solubility of scale-forming ions and diminishing their nucleation rate. Furthermore, this coupling induces a crystalline transformation from recalcitrant calcite to looser aragonite, contributing to the separation of scale from the pipe wall. Significantly, the proposed method was implemented in the field application by establishing a pilot-scale system with a capacity of 800–1000 L/h, which realized a stable reduction in the total hardness of the RCW from 1270 mg/L to below 127 mg/L at a magnetic flow ratio of 0.05 T·s/m. Moreover, the heat exchanger surface scaling was effectively controlled after 71 days of continuous treatment. This study helps promote the industrial application of S-HGMS technology for scale inhibition in high-hardness water.

Syntheses, properties and mechanistic studies of 8-aminooctanoic acid-modified polyaspartic acid polymers for calcium scale inhibition

The anti-scaling agent poly(aspartic acidic) (PASP) polymers had became a hot research topic based on its peptide bond structures with degradation characteristics. However, it was difficult to control the chain length distributions of the synthesized products, which led to difficulty in determining the scaling mechanism for the peptide bond products. In this paper, PASP/8AC graft modified polymers with a narrow dispersity (Ð) and controllable chain lengths was synthesized via a simple two-step method, and 8-aminooctanoic acid (8AC) was introduced into the peptide bond structure of PASP with main chain lengths of 12. The effects of the side-chain lengths and functional groups on the scale inhibition mechanism were determined. The static scale inhibition results showed that the grafted products had significantly improved scale inhibition efficiencies at low concentrations and good temperature and time stabilities. The inhibition rate for CaSO4 scaling was increased by almost 60 % at a concentration of 3 mg/L. At 5 mg/L, the inhibition rate for CaCO3 scaling was increased by 36 %. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) showed that side chain length extensions improved calcium ion chelation by the PASP and increased calcium scale lattice distortion. This study verified the effects of side chains on PASP scale inhibition and its mechanism. This is of great importance in designing new green water treatment agents.

Graphene Oxide Inhibits Calcium Carbonate Nucleation.

Formation of minerals such as calcium carbonate often causes energy consumption and even safety risk increase due to the hindrance on heat/mass transfer. However, the current antiscalants are not efficient enough because of the poor understanding of the scale inhibition mechanisms. Here, we report an ultrahigh-performance antiscalant, graphene oxide (GO), which exhibits an outstanding nucleation inhibition effect far better than the current state-of-the-art antiscalants even on a subppm dosage. Our experiments reveal that the superior nucleation inhibition effect of GO is attributed to its limiting effect on the nucleation kinetics of ions and its ability to increase the nucleation barrier of calcium carbonate by altering the normal pathway of calcium carbonate polymorph formation. Further analysis indicates that the ion-limiting effect and the polymorph control ability of GO may stem from its oxygen functional group-rich surface chemistry and two-dimensional (2D) planar features, which endow GO with a Ca2+ binding ability and additional steric hindrance for CO32- diffusion, respectively.

The role of electrical current mode in calcium carbonate deposition on conductive carbon nanofiber–epoxy coating

AbstractCalcium carbonate is one of the most common scaling minerals. In this paper we have used different electrical current modes (direct current [DC], pulsed DC, and alternating current [AC]) to control the amount, morphology, and distribution of calcium carbonate deposit on electroconductive epoxy/carbon nanofiber (CNF) coating. The effect of different current modes on surface scaling was visualized using scanning electron microscopy. It has been shown that both AC and DC anodic polarization limited scale deposition on epoxy/CNF coated surfaces, although the mechanisms of scale inhibition during AC and DC polarization were different. DC polarization of the coating at +2 V resulted in the smallest scale buildup without leading to coating degradation, while DC polarization at potentials as high as +5 V caused the coating to degrade. Interestingly, application of pulsed DC with high pulse frequency (50 Hz) inhibited the degradation. The type of current applied affected also the morphology of the precipitate at the cathode. The results presented in this work show, for the first time, how different modes of electrical current applied to electroconductive composite coatings can be used to control the morphology and distribution of calcium carbonate scale, and how the organic coating degradation at high polarization potentials can be avoided.

The scale inhibition mechanism of sodium humate on heat transfer surface: Insights from electrochemical experiments, quantum chemical calculations, and molecular dynamics simulation

The scale inhibition mechanism of sodium humate (HAS) on Calcium Carbinate (CaCO3) was investigated by experiments, quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. The changes of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were analyzed by electrochemical methods at different concentrations (0, 10, 30, 50, 70, 100 mg/L) of HAS. The molecular structure of HAS was optimized by quantum chemical calculation, and the charge distribution, electrostatic potential distribution and frontier orbital energy of HAS were obtained. The interaction simulation system between HAS and the crystal planes of calcite was constructed based on molecular dynamics simulation. The interaction mechanism between specific functional groups in HAS and calcite crystal plane was analyzed. The results show that the capacitance arc and charge transfer resistance increase with the increase of HAS concentration in the range of 0–50 mg. However, In the concentration range of 50–100 mg, the capacitance arc and charge transfer resistance decrease with the increase of concentration. In the optimized structure of HAS, the oxygen atom on the carboxyl group is more negatively charged. There is a strong mutual attraction between HAS and calcite crystal plane. The primary functional group responsible for achieving scale inhibition is formed through the bonding between the carboxyl oxygen atom within its molecular structure and the calcium atom on the calcite crystal plane. The research in this paper provides a strong guidance for the treatment of scale and the development of scale inhibitors.

Preparation of carboxy sulfonic acid‐containing copolymer scale inhibitors and their scale inhibition effect on CaCO3

AbstractFree radical polymerization was selected to obtain a promising copolymer scale inhibitor IA‐AM‐SAS with good water solubility and temperature and salt resistance, which is suitable for the treatment of surface pipeline water in oil fields, using itaconic acid (IA), acrylamide (AM), and sodium acrylsulfonate (SAS) as the monomers. The structure of the synthesized copolymer was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric results showed that the copolymer does not undergo significant thermal degradation at temperatures below 356°C, indicating that the copolymer has good thermal stability. The molecular weights of the polymers at different monomer ratios were measured using gel permeation chromatography and the relationship between the molecular weights and scale inhibition performance was discussed. The results showed that the scale inhibition effect was best when the monomer molar ratio n(IA): n(AM): n(SAS) was 0.5:2:1.5 and the number of average molecular weight of the prepared copolymer was 7712 g/mol, and the inhibition efficiency of CaCO3 was 84.02% when IA‐AM‐SAS was at a concentration of 30 mg L−1, and the inhibition rate was measured by the standard of static scale inhibition test in the oilfield measured. The range of conditions (PH, Ca2+ concentration, water temperature, and time) of the static scale inhibition test was then expanded using a one‐way controlled variable experiment to explore the performance of IA‐AM‐SAS scale inhibitors under different water quality conditions. The scale inhibition mechanism was explored by scanning electron microscopy, x‐ray diffraction, and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Briefly, the combination of multiple functional groups enables IA‐AM‐SAS to be applied in complex and challenging environments.

Waste into treasure: New insight to inhibit scale generation in industrial circulating cooling water

The present study investigated the inhibitory role of ginkgo fallen leaves on scale generation in industrial circulating cooling water (ICCW), and the dual scale inhibition mechanism was revealed to demonstrate the ICCW engineering application potential of ginkgo fallen leaves treatment. The results showed that pH, alkalinity and turbidity decreased from 8.68, 295.74 mg/L and 2.482 NTU to 7.27, 111.23 mg/L and 0.483 NTU, respectively, after adding 7.5 g/L fallen leaves in 2 h. The ascorbic acid released by the fallen leaves not only decreased the ICCW alkalinity, but also complexed with the residual Ca2+ to form calcium ascorbate, which combined to inhibit the ICCW scale generation. Finally, compared to other chemical scale inhibition methods, fallen leaves treatment could save 0.34–850 CNY/ton in agent costs. Also, no additional building area was required, saving infrastructure costs. Therefore, turning fallen leaves waste into treasure provided the green and sustainable innovative strategy for scale inhibition in the ICCW, and has significant potential for engineering applications.

Synthesis and properties of a new polycarboxylic acid multi‐polymer scale inhibitor suitable for industrial circulating water

AbstractMultipolymer TPEG‐IA‐AMPS was synthesized by free‐radical polymerization using isopentenol polyoxyethylene ether (TPEG), itaconic acid (IA) and 2‐acrylamide‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) as monomers. In addition, the monomers and the synthesized multipolymer were characterized and analyzed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). And then, the control variable method and static scale inhibition method were used to measure the influence of different synthesis conditions on the calcium carbonate scale inhibition performance of multipolymer, and the optimum synthesis conditions of terpolymer were determined. Meanwhile, the influence of different factors on the scale inhibition performance of calcium carbonate scale and calcium sulfate scale under the optimum synthesis conditions was also explored. Moreover, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the scale inhibition mechanism. The results show that the synthesized multipolymer TPEG‐IA‐AMPS is suitable for industrial recycling wastewater in harsh environment such as high alkalinity, high hardness and high PH.

Untargeted metabolomic analysis reveals the mechanism of Enterococcus faecium agent induced CaCO3 scale inhibition.

In this study, a lactic acid bacterium, Enterococcus faecium, was found to prevent CaCO3 precipitation through its metabolism. On analysis of all stages of E. faecium growth, static jar tests demonstrated that stationary phase E. faecium broth possessed the highest inhibition efficiency of 97.3% at a 0.4% inoculation dosage, followed by the decline and log phases with efficiencies of 90.03% and 76.07%, respectively. Biomineralization experiments indicated that E. faecium fermented the substrate to produce organic acid, which resulted in modulation of the pH and alkalinity of the environment and thus inhibited CaCO3 precipitation. Surface characterization techniques indicated that the CaCO3 crystals precipitated by the E. faecium broth tended to be significantly distorted and formed other organogenic calcite crystals. The scale inhibition mechanisms were revealed by untargeted metabolomic analysis on log and stationary phase E. faecium broth. In total, 264 metabolites were detected, 28 of which were differential metabolites (VIP ≥ 1 and p < 0.05). Of these, 15 metabolites were upregulated in stationary phase broth, and 13 metabolites were downregulated in log phase broth. Metabolic pathway analysis suggested that improved glycolysis and the TCA cycle were the main reasons for enhancement of the antiscaling performance of E. faecium broth. These findings have significant implications for microbial metabolism-induced CaCO3 scale inhibition.

High-Temperature-Resistant Scale Inhibitor Polyaspartic Acid-Prolineamide for Inhibiting CaCO3 Scale in Geothermal Water and Speculation of Scale Inhibition Mechanism

An excellent high-temperature-resistant scale inhibitor, polyaspartic acid-prolineamide (PASP-Pro), was synthesized by polysuccinimide (PSI) and L-prolineamide (L-Pro), and then characterized by 1H-NMR and FTIR analysis. The inhibition performance of PASP-Pro on CaCO3 precipitation was studied at different temperatures through static tests; at the same time, the influence of PASP-Pro on the crystallization process of CaCO3 was investigated by combining the electrical conductivity test of CaCO3 solution with different CaCO3 scale characterizations. The suitable synthesis and evaluation conditions for PASP-Pro were obtained, and a possible multi-stage scale inhibition mechanism of PASP-Pro for CaCO3 scale was then suggested. PASP-Pro has better thermal stability and high-temperature scale inhibition performance (exceeds 87% after pretreatment at 150 °C) than PASP. In addition, PASP-Pro exhibited a promising anti-scaling property by inhibiting the crystallization of CaCO3; the induction period and the nucleation period of the CaCO3 crystallization process were prolonged nearly four times. It was found from XRD patterns that vaterite, an unstable crystalline phase, gradually emerged with the addition of the scale inhibitors, and the aragonite crystals are clearly observed in SEM images. Finally, the possible multi-stage scale inhibition mechanism of PASP-based inhibitors was proposed, including coating impurities, electrostatic repulsion, and inhibiting dehydration and rearrangement of CaCO3 crystallization.

Combined quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics study on the calcite scale inhibition mechanism of carboxymethyl dextran

The scale inhibition mechanism of carboxymethyl dextran (CMD), a new green scale inhibitor, was studied via quantum mechanical calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Specifically, the interactions between the functional groups of CMD and calcite (104), (110), and (1–10) surfaces in aqueous solution were modelled at different degrees of polymerization (DP) of CMD (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, respectively). The adsorption configuration, radial distribution function, deformation energy, binding energy, and relative concentration distribution of water molecules near the surface of calcite were calculated. The results showed that the carboxyl functional groups in CMD were strongly electronegative and able to form strong chemisorption bonds with calcium ions on the calcite surface. This can change the regular arrangement of the surface and prevent the combination of carbonate particles and calcium ions to form calcite scale. Furthermore, as the DP increased, the binding energy and the peak value of the radial distribution function increased, indicating an increase in the probability and strength of adsorption of CMD on the calcite surface, which can further enhance the scale inhibition efficiency.

Fluorescent-Tagged Antiscalants-The New Materials for Scale Inhibition Mechanism Studies, Antiscalant Traceability and Antiscaling Efficacy Optimization during CaCO3 and CaSO4·2H2O Scale Formation.

Equipment scaling leads to reduced production efficiency in a wide range of industrial applications worldwide. Various antiscaling agents are currently commonly used to mitigate this problem. However, irrespective of their long and successful application in water treatment technologies, little is known about the mechanisms of scale inhibition, particularly the localization of scale inhibitors on scale deposits. The lack of such knowledge is a limiting factor in the development of applications for antiscalants. Meanwhile, fluorescent fragments integrated into scale inhibitor molecules have provided a successful solution to the problem. The focus of this study is, therefore, on the synthesis and investigation of a novel fluorescent antiscalant: (2-(6-morpholino-1,3-dioxo-1H-benzo[de]isoquinolin-2(3H)yl)ethylazanediyl)bis(methylenephosphonic acid) (ADMP-F) which is an analog of the commercial antiscalant: aminotris(methylenephosphonic acid) (ATMP). ADMP-F has been found to effectively control the precipitation of CaCO3 and CaSO4 in solution and is a promising tracer for organophosphonate scale inhibitors. ADMP-F was compared with two other fluorescent antiscalants-polyacrylate (PAA-F1) and bisphosphonate (HEDP-F)-and was found to be highly effective: PAA-F1 > ADMP-F >> HEDP-F (CaCO3) and PAA-F1 > ADMP-F > HEDP-F (CaSO4·2H2O). The visualization of the antiscalants on the deposits provides unique information on their location and reveals differences in the "antiscalant-deposit" interactions for scale inhibitors of different natures. For these reasons, a number of important refinements to the mechanisms of scale inhibition are proposed.

Physicochemical Characteristics and the Scale Inhibition Effect of Air Nanobubbles (A-NBs) in a Circulating Cooling Water System

Air nanobubbles (A-NBs) in a circulating cooling water system have not been investigated, although their role is significant. In this paper, the influences of the contents of main salts and other parameters on the physicochemical characteristics and scale inhibition performance of A-NBs in circulating cooling water were investigated and the scale inhibition mechanism of A-NBs in a simulated circulating cooling water system was explored. A-NBs realized a higher scale inhibition rate of 90%, which was higher than that of 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (40%), and A-NBs stably existed for more than 5 days in the complex water environment. Four interface functions were proposed to interpret the scale inhibition effect of A-NBs in circulating cooling water as follows. First, the negatively charged surface of A-NBs adsorbed cations (Ca2+) reduced the concentration of scaling ions. Second, the negatively charged surface of A-NBs could also adsorb microcrystals, and their crystal-like seed action was conducive to the formation of large-size crystals, broke the rules of crystal growth, and reduced the adhesion of scales to the pipe wall. Third, A-NBs could also form a bubble layer after they were adsorbed on the inner surface of pipes, thereby preventing the deposition of scales on the surface. Fourth, A-NB burst caused local turbulence, increased the shear force onto the pipe surface, and reduced the scales adhering to the pipe surface. The interface effect of A-NBs in metal pipes is important in many industrial applications. This study laid the basis for the development of a new green A-NB scale-inhibiting technology.