Basic Properties and Uses of Carboxymethyl Cellulose

Carboxymethyl Cellulose (Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose, CMC for short) is a commonly used food additive, and its sodium salt (Cellulose gum) is often used as a thickener and paste.

The Basic Properties of Carboxymethyl Cellulose:

physical properties

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is an anionic cellulose ether. Its appearance is white or light yellow flocculent fiber powder or white powder, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic; easily soluble in cold water or hot water, forming a certain viscosity transparent solution. The solution is neutral or slightly alkaline, insoluble in organic solvents such as ethanol, isopropanol, and acetone, but soluble in ethanol or acetone solutions containing 60% water. It is hygroscopic and stable to light and heat. The viscosity decreases with the increase of temperature. The solution is stable when the pH value is 2 to 10. When the pH value is lower than 2, there is solid precipitation. When the pH value is higher than 10, the viscosity decreases. The discoloration temperature is 227°C, the carbonization temperature is 252°C, and the surface tension of 2% aqueous solution is 71mn/n.

The Basic Use of Carboxymethyl Cellulose:

1. Used in oil and natural gas drilling, well digging and other projects

2. Used in textile, printing and dyeing industries. In the textile industry, CMC is used as a sizing agent for light yarn sizing of strong materials such as cotton, silk wool, chemical fiber, and blended spinning;

3. Used in paper industry CMC can be used as paper smoothing agent and sizing agent in paper industry. Adding 0.1% to 0.3% of CMC in the pulp can increase the tensile strength of the paper by 40% to 50%, increase the crack resistance by 50%, and increase the kneading property by 4 to 5 times.

4. CMC can be used as a dirt adsorbent when added to synthetic detergents; daily chemicals such as toothpaste industry CMC glycerol solution is used as gum base for toothpaste; pharmaceutical industry is used as a thickener and emulsifier; CMC solution is used as a float after thickening Mining and so on.

5. It can be used as adhesive, plasticizer, suspending agent of glaze, color fixing agent, etc. in the ceramic industry.

6. Used in construction to improve water retention and strength

7. Used in the food industry. The food industry uses CMC with a high degree of replacement as a thickener for ice cream, canned food, instant noodles, and a foam stabilizer for beer. For thickeners, binders or conformal agents.