North America
Calcium Chloride for Water Treatment
TETRA Technologies offers a highly soluble calcium chloride available as either a clear liquid or white flakes. It is used in a wide variety of industrial applications, from waste water treatment, effluent, and pulp-paper treatment to polymer manufacturing, humidity absorption, and freeze conditioning.
Fluoride Removal
Calcium chloride can be used effectively in the removal of fluoride. The treatment of fluoride-bearing effluents is an area of increasing concern, as fluoride content in drinking water has become a part of the public and regulatory agenda. Industrial operations, such as petroleum refineries, aluminum smelters, and semi-conductor production facilities, generate effluents that are high in fluoride content and require treatment prior to their discharge into public streams.
Phosphate Reduction
Calcium chloride is effective at reducing phosphates from fertilizer runoff and industrial wastewater. After removal, the captured solids can in some cases be reused or sold. Reducing phosphate runoff is important to mitigate over-enrichment in lakes, rivers, and coastal waters, which causes excessive algae growth.
Sulfate Reduction
Calcium chloride is effective at reducing sulfates in effluent streams, yielding solid gypsum that can be filtered out and sold or discarded. Sulfates from demolition, mining, and mineral processing can acidify surface water and soil and contribute to harmful acid rain.
Colloid Destabilization
Calcium chloride is an excellent coagulant in destabilization in the treatment of effluents in the oil & gas and food & beverage industries.
Calcium Flakes for Concrete Acceleration
Concrete is one of the worlds most used construction materials and is indispensable in most construction projects. Calcium chloride has an important role to play in non-reinforced concrete products such as roof tiles and pavement stones. As part of our integrated network, TETRA can provide bulk calcium chloride for cement and concrete acceleration across the globe.
Using TETRA SuperSet liquid calcium chloride and TETRA Flake dry calcium chloride in concrete significantly reduces the setting time of concrete by accelerating the rate of hydration or drying, a property especially beneficial for products like roof tile and paving brick manufacturing in order for the product to be de-molded much faster. Normal addition level is 0.5 to 2.0 percent of the cement amount. The setting time can be decreased by as much as 50 percent.
Performance at Low Temperature
The accelerating effect is augmented at low temperatures and makes it possible to achieve concrete setting at much lower temperature without the use of calcium chloride.
High Early Strength
In applications where time is of the essence, such as foundations and emergency patching of pavement, the addition of calcium chloride to ready-mixed concrete can reduce the waiting period before surfaces can bear loads.
Ready-mixed concrete containing calcium chloride offers significant economic benefits to concrete contractors by reducing costs and improving their overall performance and profits.
Polymer Manufacturing
Calcium chloride is used in the manufacture of polymers to separate aggregate molecules of the polymer from the emulsifier. Processes that use calcium chloride include synthetic rubber and impact modifiers.
Pulp and Paper Treatment
Calcium chloride is used in the pulp and paper industry as a coagulant to improve the performance of organic polymers. It is often a component in the manufacture of paper to improve printability, as it improves electrical conductivity on the surface, facilitating sharper printing of text and imagery. Calcium chloride is also used to remove ink in paper recycling and increase web strength of corrugating media.
Humidity Absorption (Desiccants)
Owing to its hygroscopic property, calcium chloride is used for humidity absorption in home and commercial dehumidifiers and to dry gases and solvents in industrial applications.
Mining Industry Applications
Calcium chloride is used as a freeze conditioning agent (FCA) to ease unloading and handling of minerals during winter months. It has become an accepted practice by the mineral industry.
Both underground and open cut mining operations are regulated for the level of dust emission in the working environment. Calcium chloride, being hygroscopic and deliquescent, minimizes dust emission when spread on haulage roads. It is also used in mining operations for the stabilization of the unpaved haulage roads. Apart from keeping the dust level down, its use also reduces the overall maintenance costs substantially.
TETRA Calcium Chloride Products
TETRA is a global producer of a variety of calcium chloride grades. Explore how our calcium chloride products are used throughout a variety of diverse industries including: oil and gas; industrial; agricultural; road surfacing and de icing; and food processing.
