PLASTICIZATION OF WATER-COAL SUSPENSIONS BY THE SALTS OF HUMIC ACIDS

It was shown that the salts of humic acids are effective plasticizers of water-coal suspensions. The plasticizer prepared on the basis of th e salts of sulfonated humic acids is suitable for use in water-coal fu el. The ability of the plasticisers for water-coal fuel to cause visco plastic flow (close to Newtonian flow) of suspensions within a wide ra nee of deformation rates (epsilon = 1.8 - 437.4 s(-1)) was suggested a s a criterion for plasticiser efficiency. It was established that the plasticizing effect of the salts of humic acids is due to their adsorp tion on the surface of the particles of coal dispersions, and is depen dent on the acid-base properties of a plasticizer solution.