Guar Gum Application in MIning & Construction Industry

Guar grows in many countries like India, Pakistan, USA, Australia. This goes through a multistage industrial process after which Guar Gum Powder is extracted from the Guar seed. It has several important properties likes its ability to hydrate rapidly in cold water and attain very high viscosity at low concentrations. It also is effective in ensuring excellent thickening to a solution.

It is very versatile and effective as a natural polymer and has a large number of applications in several industries like construction, oil & gas well drilling, mining, food, pharmaceuticals, beverages, cosmetics, paper, textile.

This article goes on to describe properties of Guar Gum and its application in the mining and construction industry.

Main Properties

Guar Gum Powder has several useful properties and helps with several processes. It has an ability to reduce water and fluid loss and is used as a surfactant and for fracturing fluid, it also has high viscosity.

Here are the properties;

• Soluble in cold water
• Strong hydrogen bonding properties
• Exceptional thickening, emulsion, stabilizing and film forming properties
• Stability to control rheology by water phase management

Common Applications

There are many applications of guar gum powder as listed here:

• Bonding agent
• Hydrocolloid
• Gelling agent
• Natural Fiber
• Natural thickener
• Emulsifier
• Stabilizer
• Fracturing agent

This makes it vital for several industries like Insecticides & Pesticides, Detergents & Soaps, Paint Industry, Electrodes & Brazing Fluxes, Plywood, Leather Industry, Foundry, Tobacco Processing, Pencils Crayons, Adhesives.

Mining & Construction Industry Application

Guar Gum Powder is useful in the mining & construction industry due to is natural properties. It is useful as a gelling agent for gell sausage type explosives as well as pumpable slurry explosives. It has several applications as listed here:

• As a flocculant for production of liquid-solid separation besides which it is also useful in flotation.
• As a depressant for talc and other insoluble gangue which is mined along with the valuable minerals.
• It is useful for using as a waterproofing agent when mixed with other chemicals.
• It is a water-binding agent for aqueous slurry explosives.
• It is very useful to the construction industry since it is a natural thickener, emulsifier and stabilizer.
• Other properties of Guar Gum Powder like a bonding agent, hydrocolloid, gelling agent, solid stabilizer, fracturing agent, flocculant and natural fibre are also useful.
• The water blocking, swelling and gelling properties are very useful for mixing it with Ammonium nitrate, nitro-glycerine and oil explosives it is possible to preserve its explosive property even in wet conditions.
• It helps improve the performance when applied in a cement based wall putty, cement-gypsum based plasters, cement-gypsum based crack fillers, cement based texture plasters, flooring and levelling compound.
• Hydroxpypropyl Guar Gum also known as HPG is formed by an etherification reaction with non-iconic propylene oxide reagent when mixed with guar gum powder. This is very useful for several construction applications since it improves the alkaline stability, hydrophoicity, solubility, biostability properties.
• It has excellent water retention property which is due to molar substitution and hence it very useful for the construction industry. Also helps reduce the effect of plastic shrinking.
• It is of great importance to the construction industry to avoid sagging of plaster and help improve its resistance to tile sagging. (for vertical walls).
• A mixture of cement, sand and water require high bonding characteristics to improve the rheological properties. Hydroxypropyl Guar Gum is very useful for this purpose.

Thus, Guar Gum Powder has several useful properties (waterproof agent, etc.) and applications that make it invaluable for the construction industry & mining industry.