As the first generation concrete admixture, Calcium lignosulfonate is one of the lignin derivatives obtained in the pulp industry. Calcium lignosulphonate (referred to as wood calcium) is a multi-component polymer anionic surfactant. Its appearance is light yellow to dark brown powder with a slight aromatic odor. The molecular weight is generally between 800 and 10,000. Strong dispersibility, adhesion, and chelating properties. It is usually made from the cooking waste liquid of acid pulping (or called sulfite pulping) by spray drying. It is soluble in water but insoluble in any common organic solvents. The PH value of its 1% aqueous solution is about 4-6.
Industrial lignin has the characteristics of polymer and some special properties. It is mainly used in water treatment agents, concrete admixtures, dye dispersants, and various complexing agents, adhesives, etc., but the scope of application is still relatively limited. Although calcium lignosulfonate is a waste material produced in the papermaking process, it still has the basic structure of lignin-benzyl propane derivative, and its sulfonic acid group makes it soluble in water.
Calcium Lignin Sulfonate Powder
- Product Name: Calcium Lignosulfonate
- Appearance: Light Yellow Powder
- Lignosulphonate % : 55 min
- PH Value: 4~6
- CAS No.: 8061-52-7
- HS Code: 3804000090
- Molecular Formula: C20H24CaO10S2
Kingsun calcium lignosulphonate has strong decomposability, cohesiveness, and affinity, and has been widely used as pesticide filler, emulsifying and dispersing agent, water suspension and suspoemulsion agent, concrete water reducing agent and auxiliary molding agent, printing and dyeing auxiliary, compound fertilizer, resin, leather tanning agent, mineral powder binder, ceramic auxiliary, refractory plasticizer, and bonding agent, casting, oil well or dam grouting gel, mineral processing dispersant, Feed additives, coal water slurry dispersants and additives, carbon black granulators, asphalt emulsified chemical pesticides and other chemical deep processing fields.
| Index items | Standard value | Test Results |
| Appearance | Brown powder | Meets the requirement |
| Moisture | ≤5.0% | 3.2 |
| PH value | 8–10 | 8.2 |
| Dry matter | ≥92% | 95 |
| lignosulphonate | ≥50% | 56 |
| Inorganic salts(Na2SO4 | ≤5.0% | 2.3 |
| Total reducing matter | ≤6.0% | 4.7 |
| Water insoluble matter | ≤4.0% | 3.67 |
| Calcium magnesium general quantity | ≤1.0% | 0.78 |
Application of Calcium Lignosulfonate
As a concrete water reducing agent, calcium lignin sulfonate can absorb and disperse cement, and improve the physical properties of concrete. It is especially suitable for large-volume concrete, high-fluidity concrete, pumped concrete, commercial concrete, summer concrete construction, as well as concrete with special requirements for slow setting, cast-in-place pile concrete, pile sinking concrete, artificially dug concrete, and underground large-volume concrete construction. It is generally used in conjunction with a high-efficiency water reducer.
Main features of calcium lignosulfonate in concrete
- The dosage is 0.20-0.30% of the cement dosage, and the usual dosage is 0.25%, which can reduce water consumption by 8-12%.
- Without changing the water consumption of concrete, it can increase the fluidity of concrete, improve workability, and improve the quality of the project.
- When the concrete slump is maintained and the strength is the same as that of the reference concrete, it can save 8-10% of cement.
- It has micro-air-entraining properties, which can improve the anti-permeability and freeze-thaw performance of concrete.
- The agent is non-corrosive to steel bars and aggregates after being mixed into concrete.
Calcium lignosulfonate used in the smelting industry is mixed with mineral powder to form a mineral powder ball, which is dried and placed in the kiln, which can greatly increase the smelting recovery rate.
It can improve the preference of livestock and poultry, has good particle strength, reduces the amount of fine powder in the feed, reduces the powder return rate, and reduces the cost. The loss of the mold is reduced, the production capacity is increased by 10-20%, and the allowable amount of feed in the United States and Canada is 4.0%.
When making refractory bricks and tiles, calcium lignosulfonate is used as a dispersant and adhesive, which can significantly improve the operating performance, and has good effects such as water reduction, strengthening, and prevention of cracking.
Calcium lignosulfonate is used in ceramic products, which can reduce the carbon content and increase the green strength, reduce the amount of plastic clay, have good mud fluidity, increase the yield by 70-90%, and reduce the sintering speed from 70 minutes to 40 minutes.
Calcium lignosulfonate can also be used in refining auxiliary, casting, pesticide wettable powder processing, briquette pressing, mining, beneficiation agent, road, soil, dust control, leather tanning filler, Carbon black granulation, and other aspects.
Dispersion effect
This product has excellent dispersibility and can be quickly adsorbed on the surface of cement particles to form a lubricating film. This lubricating film reduces the friction resistance between cement particles, making it easier for cement particles to be evenly dispersed in concrete. The dispersion effect not only reduces the agglomeration of cement particles, but also helps to release bound cement particles, improving the fluidity and workability of concrete.
Charge repulsion dispersion
With a negative charge, it can neutralize the positive charge on the surface of cement particles and change the surface charge state of cement particles. This causes electrostatic repulsion between cement particles, which repel each other and disperse. The charge repulsion dispersion further enhances the uniformity and stability of concrete, and helps to improve the strength and durability of concrete.
Free water release
Under the action of calcium lignin sulfonate, the dispersion of cement particles and charge repulsion dispersion allow some of the bound water to be released and become free water. These free waters participate in the hydration reaction of concrete and promote the hardening process of cement. At the same time, the release of free water also increases the fluidity of concrete, reduces the amount of water used for mixing concrete, and achieves a water-reducing effect.
Improve microstructure
Through the dispersion effect and charge repulsion dispersion, calcium lignin sulfonate improves the microstructure of concrete. It makes cement particles more evenly distributed in concrete, reducing the generation of pores and microcracks. This improvement in microstructure helps to improve the density and strength of concrete, reduce the permeability and water absorption of concrete, and thus improve the durability and service life of concrete.
Improve concrete performance
The water-reducing mechanism of calcium lignosulfonate not only improves the fluidity and workability of concrete, but also significantly improves the overall performance of concrete. The addition of water reducer reduces the water consumption of concrete and improves the strength and hardness of concrete. At the same time, due to the improvement of microstructure, the crack resistance, impermeability and wear resistance of concrete are also improved. In addition, calcium lignin sulfonate is also environmentally friendly and meets the requirements of sustainable development.
Lignin is insoluble in neutral liquids and organic solvents. In order to produce lignin, there are two most commonly used methods to separate cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; and then from the (lignin-containing) pulp waste liquid to produce calcium lignosulfonate.
1. Sulfite pulp method
This is the treatment of wood chips with a well-known hot acidic calcium sulfite acid solution. During this digestion process, part of the lignin is sulfonated, and at the same time, the bond is hydrolyzed. Hydrolysis enables the lignosulfonate molecules to be dissolved in the slurry, and other soluble (such as sugar compounds) products are also obtained, the solubility of which is basically fixed.
2. Kraft pulp (ie sulfate) method
Another method is to treat the sawdust with a hot strong alkali solution, the pH is controlled in the range of 13~14, the lignin in the generated mother liquor is completely dissolved, and the hemicellulose is only partially dissolved. The dissolved product can be modified to obtain products with different properties and multiple specifications so that it has broad application prospects.
Why Choose Kingsun
As a leading concrete admixtures manufacturer in China, Kingsun has more than 15 years’ experience in construction industry. And Kingsun has its own factory, large warehouse and the advanced fully automated production lines.
- We can ensure sufficient supply and timely delivery.
- All of Kingsun products have passed many certifications, such as ISO, SGS,etc.
- We always high-quality products, competitive prices and good services for all the customers.
- We also have many successful export cases. Our products have been exported to more than 30 countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam，Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, etc.