Preparation, characterization and scale inhibition performance of carboxymethyl ficoll

Carboxymethyl Ficoll (CM-Ficoll) has attracted wide attention in various areas such as cell isolation and pharmaceutical slow-release. However, the preparation especially the precise control of carboxymethyl degree of CM-Ficoll remains a challenge. In this work, the preparation of CM-Ficoll was investigated systematically. The substitution degree of hydroxyl groups by carboxymethyl ones in Ficoll was found to be easily controlled by feed ratio, temperature and reaction time. More interestingly, it is found that the CM-Ficoll has significant scale inhibition performance for against calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) during water treatment. The scale inhibition performance can be modulated by changing the substitution degree of CM-Ficoll. The possible inhibition mechanism of CM-Ficoll against CaCO₃ is the combination of lattice distortion, chelation and dispersion. This work demonstrated that CM-Ficoll should be a promising eco-friendly and cost-effective scale inhibitors for water treatments.