Dry liquids are mixtures which have the appearance of a free flowing powder where the active ingredient, a liquid, is supported by a suitable carrier.

In the building materials industry many liquids are highly concentrated active substances that need to be dispersed thoroughly and evenly in a matrix to be used effectively. Small quantities of active substances have to be added very precisely and mixed into the matrix very quickly. The on site handling of a dry liquid is much easier and the transportation and storage are simpler.

The rubber industry uses a wide range of liquids such as process oils, accelerators, plasticisers, flame retardants and resins. Many of these liquids are difficult to handle and most are processed as a liquid on a regular basis. Low viscosity liquids are difficult to add to open mills. High viscosity liquids, high tack liquids or low melting point solids are difficult to add accurately.

Examples from other industries can be found easily as per referenced applications in this document show.

By converting the physical form of these liquids to a dry liquid the compounding stage is made easier. There is easier handling, more accurate measurement and less waste. In addition the dry liquid is often much faster to mix in, distributes more evenly and reduces cycle times and mixing energy requirements. The active substance is in general used in a more effective way. Once a stable dry liquid has been manufactured, long time storage and transportation are simple and no sedimentation is expected.

Material Properties

PROMAXON^®  is a white, microporous and free flowing mineral powder.
PROMAXON^® is a synthetic hydrated calcium silicate (CSH) and its chemical structure corresponds with the known mineral Xonotlite Ca₆Si₆O₁₇(OH)₂.
By means of a special crystallization process and controlled crystal growth, particles are produced with a more or less spherical morphology. The result is an open inner structure surrounded by an outer shell of close knitted needle-like crystals.

Specifications

    

Bulk density (g/l)	85 - 130
Average particle size (µm)	35 - 85
Coarse particles (> 254 µm)	< 2 %
Moisture content	< 3 %
Loss on ignition	< 7 %
Specific weight (g/cm³)	± 2.6
Specific surface area (BET m²/g)	> 40
pH-value	9 - 10
Chemical analys SiO2 CaO Al2O3 MgO Fe2O3	± 50 % ± 43 % ± 0,3 % ± 0,4 % ± 0,3 %
Oil absorption (g/100g)	± 300

Related Properties

PROMAXON^® is a very stable and easy to handle product. Its special spherical morphology with micro-pores at the outside and macro-pores at the inside offer wide application perspectives.

PROMAXON^® has a high temperature resistance. Between 620 °C and 750 °C a slight dehydration due to loss of crystalline water is observed but no significant physical changes occur. The melting temperature is 1540° C.

PROMAXON^® is easy to disperse and performs very well as a mixing-aid. In composites it promotes a better opening of the fibers, reduces mixing time and prevents fiber-agglomeration.

PROMAXON^® extends physical and mechanical properties over a wide temperature field.

PROMAXON^® contributes to a better shrinkage control of the materials matrix.

Applications

PROMAXON^® functions as a :

• multifunctional extender in friction products,
• thixotropic agent in resin systems,
• dry liquid carrier,
• carrier for biocatalysts,
• reinforcing agent in rubbers,
• dispersing agent in composites,
• drip-suppressant in thermoplastics,
• high temperature insulating and fire resistant powder,
• thixotropic agent in high performance building materials and
• s an inert and stable microporous material for all kinds of filtration processes.

PROMAXON^® as a Carrier for Dry Liquids

The difference with PROMAXON^® as compared with other traditional carriers for dry liquids (shown here with pyrogenic silica) can be imagined as follows:
Picture 4 shows how the liquid is absorbed inside the PROMAXON^® particles by the capillary activity of the permeable outer shell.     Picture 5 shows the behaviour of pyrogenic silicates that surround small liquid particles.

As the particles have a stable micorporous inner structure in which the liquid is stored, the outer shell keeps the surface of the particles dry. That property prevents them from building lumps – the result is a free flowing highly filled dry liquid.

Pic. 4: Liquid particles in a three dimensional crystal system

Pic. 5: Liquid particles surrounded by pyrogenic silicates

PROMAXON^® also distinguishes itself from the traditional carriers for dry liquids in that dry liquids based on PROMAXON^® are extremely pressure-stable. This means that there are no special requirements for the packaging material; material packed in bags can be piled up as wished.
Due to the internal storage of the liquid inside the particles, long term storage of the dry liquid which is based on PROMAXON^®, is much more stable than storing the substance in liquid form or dispersed form where sedimentation can happen. No additional process steps to redisperse the material after storage are necessary. E.g. Shelf life of a 70% filled dry liquid with Choline Chloride in PROMAXON^® has been determined to be two years if adequately sealed and stored in a dry, cool place.
In a number of applications PROMAXON^® also fulfils several functions as a versatile additive. PROMAXON^® used e.g. as a carrier for an active substance can function at the same time as a reinforcing additive or a microporous structure that remains stable in the matrix.

How to produce a Dry Liquid with PROMAXON^®

The processing of a Dry Liquid with PROMAXON^® is easy.

• How much liquid can be stored while maintaining stability in the system?
• How much of the stored active substance can be regained in the process where it is needed?
• Can the dry liquid still be considered as a free flowing and easy to use powder?

Results strongly depend on the properties of the liquid and the process of applying it to the carrier. The key properties for the process of joining a liquid and a carrier are viscosity, molecular size and drop size when getting into contact.

The properties that are brought into the process by PROMAXON^® are constant as it is a synthetically produced material. Particle size, pore diameter, pore size distribution, structural stability and the hydrophilic character are the main properties that build the outstanding abilities as an excellent and easy to process carrier.

The way to fill the dry liquid depends on the required filling ratio. Up to 50% filling ratio (Liquid / Carrier ≤ 1/1) a simple sheer force blending process can bring the required results – see picture 6. The Liquid is slowly and consistently added into the running mixture. Above 50% filling ratios (Liquid / Carrier ≥ 1/1) the use of more mixing energy and a better pre-dispersion of the liquid is recommended – see picture 7. If even higher filling ratios (Liquid / Carrier ≤ 2/1) need to be realized then the liquid needs to be sprayed onto the carrier while mixing it – see picture 8.

Pic. 6: Liquid / PROMAXON® ≤ 1 / 1 (≤ 50%)

Pic. 7 Liquid / PROMAXON® > 1 / 1 (> 50%)

Pic. 8 Liquid/PROMAXON®  > 2/1 (>100%)

The degree of activity of the substance when adding the dry liquid to the process is one of the key performance indicators of a dry liquid. Inactive substances remaining in the particles is a lost value. Therefore the main application related tests are done to evaluate the effectiveness of the dry liquid compared to the pure active substance. Dry liquids based on PROMAXON^® can be stated as highly effective for the applications they have been tested for.

A dry liquid defoamer based on PROMAXON<sup>®

1. Description</sup>
A sample of a dfoamer was provided in liquid form. The objective is to use PROMAXON^® as a carrier for it.

2. analyses

Density.

3. results

The amount of defoamer that can be added to PROMAXON^®  while it still remains a dry powder was determined. The ratio of liquid to solid L/S to maintain a free flowing powder was found to be around:
                                                                                            L/S = 1 (50%)

Three types of samples were prepared: a cement foam slurry; a slurry with defoamer and a slurry with PROMAXON^®  carrying defoamer and slurry with PROMAXON^® . The water solid ratio w/s of the three slurries was .

The resulting density of the samples is given below.

Pictures illustrating the porosity of the samples are shown below. The total porosity and the pore size distribution are markedly different in the various samples. The reference #1 clearly has the highest porosity and a large amount of large pores. The samples with pure defoamer #2 and the dry liquid (defoamer on PROMAXON®) #3 have a similar appearance “Defoamer on PROMAXON® is even better”.

4. conclusions

• The liquid solid ratio in which the defoamer can be added while remaining dry lies around
• Foaming cement slurries were made:

• #1 reference: cement and foaming additives;
• #2 ref. + defoamer;
• #3 ref. + PROMAXON^® containing defoamer

 

#1 and #2 validate that the slurry composition is suitable to test defoaming action  the results obtained with the dry liquid (defoamer on PROMAXON) gave the best results.

Download documents

Application datasheet Dry Liquids

Application sheet Dry Liquid Defoamer 

MSDS PROMAXON D

PROMAXON Technical Data Sheet

ISO 9001 2000

ISO 14001 2004