XANTHAN GUM AND GUAR GUM – POTENTIAL GREEN INHIBITORS FOR SCALE FORMATION

Unwanted scale deposits cause numerous technical and economic problems and, for this reason, it is desired to inhibit their formation. The paper studied the possibility of using guar gum and xanthan gum as scale inhibitors mainly in the food industry, due to the fact that they are biodegradable and non-toxic. The two gums, with concentrations between 50 and 100 mg/L, have proven their effectiveness in the case of waters with initial total hardness below 10 mval/L. The scaling inhibition capacity was also correlated with the variation in electrical conductivity of the water samples. X-ray diffraction analysis of CaCO3 scale formed in waters with initial total hardness over 10 mval/L, stationed for 24 hours in a thermostatic oven at 80°C, demonstrates the presence, mainly, of two polymorphic forms, calcite and aragonite.