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BR-112013000811-B1 - PROCESSES FOR THE PREPARATION OF SURFACE-TREATED CALCIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL AND FOR THE CONTROL OF ORGANIC MATERIAL IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM, SURFACE-TREATED CALCIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL, AND USE OF SURFACE-TREATED CALCIUM CARBONATE

BR112013000811B1BR 112013000811 B1BR112013000811 B1BR 112013000811B1BR-112013000811-B1

Abstract

PROCESSES FOR THE PREPARATION OF SURFACE-TREATED CALCIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL AND FOR THE CONTROL OF ORGANIC MATERIAL IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM, SURFACE-TREATED CALCIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL, COMPOSITE MATERIAL, AND USES OF THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL AND OF A SURFACE-TREATED CALCIUM CARBONATE. The present invention relates to a process for the production of a surface-treated calcium carbonate, the use of this surface-treated calcium carbonate in a process for the control of organic material in an aqueous medium, as well as to a composite of surface-treated calcium carbonate and organic material, such as a surface-treated calcium carbonate composite and the use of such a composite.

Inventors

  • PATRICK A. C. GANE
  • Matthias Buri
  • Samuel Rentsch
  • Daniel Gantenbein
  • Joachim Schoelkopf

Assignees

  • OMYA INTERNATIONAL AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260317
Application Date
20110712
Priority Date
20100720

Claims (20)

  1. 1. Process for the preparation of surface-treated calcium carbonate material, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a) providing at least one calcium carbonate-containing material; b) providing at least one salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid selected from the group comprising primary monoalcohol alkanolamine salts, polyethyleneimine salts and mixtures thereof, wherein said C5-C28 fatty acid salt is a fatty acid salt having an iodine number of less than 5 g of I2/100 g of fatty acid salt; c) treating said calcium carbonate-containing material from step a) by contacting said fatty acid salt from step b); and d) obtaining a surface-treated calcium carbonate material.
  2. 2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the calcium carbonate of said calcium carbonate-containing material of step a) is selected from the group comprising crushed natural calcium carbonate, dolomite, precipitated calcium carbonate and mixtures thereof, said calcium carbonate-containing material preferably containing at least 50%, preferably at least 90% by weight of calcium carbonate relative to the total weight of said calcium carbonate-containing material.
  3. 3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that 10 to 90%, preferably 30 to 85%, more preferably 60 to 80% by weight of the calcium carbonate material particles of step a) have a particle diameter smaller than 1 μm.
  4. 4. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the calcium carbonate material of step a) has a D50 value of 0.4 to 5 μm and preferably of 0.5 to 1 μm.
  5. 5. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the calcium carbonate material of step a) has a specific surface area BET of 1 to 200 m2/g, preferably 7 to 15 m2/g.
  6. 6. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said calcium carbonate-containing material of step a) is provided in the form of an aqueous suspension, preferably having a calcium carbonate-containing material content in the range of 1% by weight to 79% by weight, more preferably 3% by weight to 78% by weight and even more preferably 55% by weight to 75% by weight, based on the weight of the suspension.
  7. 7. Process according to claim 6, characterized in that said suspension of material containing calcium carbonate comprises 0.05 to 1 mg of dispersant or grinding aid per m2 of material containing calcium carbonate.
  8. 8. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is a salt of a C6-C24 fatty acid, preferably a salt of a C8-C18 fatty acid.
  9. 9. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is a salt of a linear fatty acid if said fatty acid is a C6-C9 fatty acid.
  10. 10. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is a combination of palmitic acid salt(s) and stearic acid salt(s), preferably in a weight ratio based on palmitic acid:stearic acid fatty acids of 2:1 to 1:2.
  11. 11. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is preferably 30 to 110 mol% neutralized with said primary monoalcohol alkanolamine and/or a polyethyleneimine, wherein said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is preferably 35 to 45 mol% neutralized in the case of a polyethyleneimine salt and said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is preferably 90 to 100 mol% neutralized in the case of a primary monoalcohol alkanolamine salt.
  12. 12. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that if said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is a polyethyleneimine salt, said polyethyleneimine is linear, preferably having a molecular weight of 140 to 700 g/mol and more preferably of 146 to 232 g/mol.
  13. 13. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that if said salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid is a primary monoalcohol alkanolamine salt, said primary monoalcohol alkanolamine is selected from the group comprising ethanolamine, propanolamines, butanolamines, pentanolamines and mixtures thereof and preferably is an l-amino-2-propanol salt of a C5-C28 fatty acid.
  14. 14. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that said calcium carbonate-containing material is treated with a total of 0.1 to 3% by weight, preferably 0.5 to 2% by weight, based on the dry weight of said calcium carbonate-containing material(s), of said C5-C28 fatty acid salt(s).
  15. 15. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said calcium carbonate-containing material is treated with a total of 0.2 to 5 mg of said C5-C28 fatty acid salt(s) per m2 of calcium carbonate-containing material and preferably with 0.5 to 2 mg of said C5-C28 fatty acid salt per m2 of calcium carbonate-containing material.
  16. 16. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the treatment process of step c) is a wet treatment process, in which the aqueous suspension obtained is preferably dried, thus obtaining the surface-treated calcium carbonate in the form of granules or a powder.
  17. 17. Process, according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the treatment process of step c) is a dry treatment process, in which the granules or powder obtained are preferably introduced into an aqueous medium, thus obtaining the surface-treated calcium carbonate in the form of an aqueous suspension.
  18. 18. Surface-treated calcium carbonate material obtained by the process as defined in any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that it comprises 97 to 99% by weight of a calcium carbonate material, 0.1 to 3% by weight of primary monoalkanolamine monoalcohol and/or polyethyleneimine salt(s) of C5-C28 fatty acid(s) and 0 to 1.5% by weight of calcium and/or magnesium salt(s) of C5-C28 fatty acid(s).
  19. 19. Process for controlling organic material in an aqueous medium, characterized in that surface-treated calcium carbonate material, as defined in claim 18, or an aqueous suspension comprising surface-treated calcium carbonate material, as defined in claim 18, is added to the medium.
  20. 20. Process, according to claim 19, characterized in that said organic material in an aqueous medium is selected from the group comprising petroleum, petroleum derivatives, styrene-butadiene binders, latex, rubber, vinyl acrylates, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, thermosetting compounds, pitch or mixtures thereof, said pitch preferably being non-ionic and/or anionic.

Description

[1] The present invention relates to a process for preparing surface-treated calcium carbonate material, to the surface-treated calcium carbonate material obtained therefrom, to the use of this surface-treated calcium carbonate material for controlling organic material, as well as to a composite of surface-treated calcium carbonate and organic material and its uses. [2] Organic material characterized as “sticky”, that is, which has a relatively high degree of stickiness and/or adhesiveness in relation to certain surfaces, presents problems in a variety of contexts. Oily organic material, such as petroleum and its derivatives, released into natural aqueous environments has been associated with environmental catastrophes when such substances adhere to the internal or external surfaces of species (e.g., bird wings or lung surfaces) in contact with this environment. [3] A series of treatments for removing oil from water surfaces has been developed. Sawdust, peat fibers, diatomaceous earth, perlite, and expanded vermiculite have all been used to soak up oil, as mentioned in US 3,414,511. For the same purpose, US 3,855,152 and US 4,011,175 refer to the use of expanded perlite mixed with asphalt, cellulose fibers, and clay to form a mixture to be sprayed on oil spills. Petition 870260008389, dated January 28, 2026, p. 11/23 [4] The prior art also refers to surface-treated materials for this purpose, such as US 3,382,170, in which expanded perlite coated with silicone is employed. In JP 74 45,467, perlite granules are coated with polypropylene to produce oleophilic-hydrophobic granules for the treatment of oil spills, while US 3,696,051 refers to the use of vermiculite coated with a cyclopentadienyl metallic compound. In US 2,464,204, a mineral aggregate, such as sand, is mixed with petroleum asphalt and fuel oil and heated to form aggregate particles having a solid carbon coating. US 5,035,804 refers to compositions comprising a fine-grained particulate material, such as perlite or expanded vermiculite, or sand, coated with an oleophilic/hydrophobic layer comprising sulfur, a metallic sulfate, an alkali metal nitrate, and burnt hydrocarbon oil. [5] Sticky organic materials, including, for example, silicone rubbers and antifoaming agents, also present a problem in the paper industry, where “tar problems” or “sticking problems” are known to occur, reported mainly as a deposition of sticky organic material that comes out of the water suspension or onto the papermaking equipment or as spots on the paper screen itself. [6] The primary source of fiber in papermaking is wood, which is reduced to its constituent fibers during pulp formation by combinations of milling and thermal and chemical treatment. During this process, the natural resin contained in the wood is released into the process water in the form of microscopic droplets. These droplets are referred to as pitch. Problems arise when colloidal pitch becomes destabilized from its original emulsion form and is deposited on surfaces in the wet end circuit of a paper mill, where the particles can form agglomerates, which eventually break apart and detach, appearing as visible spots on the paper, ranging in color from yellow to black. [7] Currently, the pH of papermaking is increasingly neutral or slightly alkaline, such that pitch removal is no longer an automatic corollary of the use of alum. The increase in pH towards pseudoneutral is a growing trend in mechanical papers and thus the study of pitch removal under these conditions is also of increasing importance. Furthermore, mechanical pulps carry much more dissolved and colloidal matter than chemical and recycled pulps. [8] In conclusion, the applicant would like to mention the following patent applications filed on his behalf relating to pitch control. WO 2008/077877 mentions a wet-crushed bentonite and talc which are usable for treating white pitch. WO 2008/113839 refers to a process for controlling pitch in an aqueous medium, wherein surface-reacted natural calcium carbonate or an aqueous suspension comprising surface-reacted calcium carbonate and having a pH greater than 6.0 measured at 20°C is added to the medium, wherein the surface-reacted calcium carbonate is a reaction product of natural calcium carbonate with carbon dioxide and one or more acids. [9] In addition, the applicant would like to mention the following patent applications filed in his name relating to surface-treated calcium carbonate for use in plastic applications. WO 2005/121257 refers to a dry mineral pigment characterized in that it contains a product formed in situ by the multiple reaction between a calcium carbonate and one or more moderately strong to strong H3O+ ion donors, gaseous CO2 and one or more compounds of the formula R-X, where R-X represents a carbonaceous radical and X represents groups such as carboxylic, amine, hydroxyl, phosphonic or mixtures thereof. WO 2008/125955 mentions a process for the preparation of a treated mine