Influence of nonionic polymers on the rheological and electrical properties of Egyptian bentonite

The rheological properties of Egyptian bentonite suspensions in the presence of nonionic polymers were investigated. Two different types of nonionic polymers were studied: poly(ethylene glycol) (molecular weight = 6000 g/mol) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (molecular weight = 40,000 g/mol). The rheological properties (plastic viscosity, apparent viscosity, and yield point) of concentrated clay suspensions (6-8% w/w) at different temperatures after 24 h were determined. As the nonionic polymer concentrations increased, the rheological properties of the bentonite suspensions showed a slight increase, especially at an 8% clay content. The electrical properties (electrophoretic mobility and ζ potential) of Egyptian bentonite in the presence of different nonionic polymers were measured with a ζ meter. The results showed that the ζ potential of this bentonite was higher with 200 mg/L poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) than with 1000 mg/L poly(ethylene glycol). Potential energy profiles for bentonite suspensions for these nonionic polymers were constructed to show that the net energy barrier for bentonite suspensions followed repulsion or attraction between particles. These profiles showed that the potential energy profile of a bentonite suspension with 200 mg/L poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) produced a high repulsion potential energy between clay surfaces; that is, the suspension stability improved. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008