Colloid properties sedimentation

Surface layers (adsorbed, solvated, ionic) are of considerable importance in controlling the stability and rheological properties of colloidal systems. Sedimentation methods have proven effective in the measurement of adsorbed layer thickness using equations similar to Equation 1 when the density of the layer could be estimated ( 7,8). The equation can be considerably simplified if the density... 

The next direct method used to characterize the colloidal properties of crude oil is the sedimentation method. It is obvious from the name of the method that this method is based on the sedimentation effect. There are two possibilities to carry out this method the first is the sedimentation under the influence of gravitational force and the second sedimentation under influence of centrifugal force. The choice between these methods depends on the viscosity of the sample and the size of the particles of the disperse phase. Viscous samples or samples with relatively small particles should be analyzed by the second method. 

The sedimentation method belongs to the classical methods of characterization of the colloidal properties of disperse systems. These methods can be used for the analysis of colloidal solutions with size of colloidal particles between 1 and 100 micrometer. The analysis of solutions with smaller particles leads to relatively high errors as a result of Brownian motion. 

Analysis method that uses the sedimentation principle for determination of colloidal properties of sample. 

Honeyman, B.D. 1999a. Colloid properties and their effects on actinide transport through soils and sediments. In 91st Annual Meeting of the Soil Sci. Soc. of Am., Salt Lake City, UT, Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 1999. 

A third system that is claimed to behave as a model hard sphere fluid is a dispersion of colloidal silica spheres sterically stabilized by stearyl chains g ted onto the surface and dispersed in cyclohexane ". Experimental studies of both the equilibrium thermodynamic and structural properties (osmotic compressibility and structure factor) as well as the dynamic properties (sedimentation, diffusion and viscosity) established that this system can indeed be described in very good approximation as a hard sphere colloidal dispersion (for a review of these experiments and their interpretation in terms of a hard sphere model see Ref. 4). De Kruif et al. 5 observed that in these lyophilic silica dispersions at volume fractions above 0.5 a transition to an ordered structure occurs. The transition from an initially glass like sediment to the iridescent (ordered) state appears only after weeks or months. 

In practice, sedimentation is an important property of colloidal suspensions. In fonnulated products, sedimentation tends to be a problem and some products are shipped in the fonn of weak gels, to prevent settling. On the other hand, in applications such as water clarification, a rapid sedimentation of impurities is desirable. 

The electrokinetic processes can actually be observed only when one of the phases is highly disperse (i.e., with electrolyte in the fine capillaries of a porous solid in the cases of electroosmosis and streaming potentials), with finely divided particles in the cases of electrophoresis and sedimentation potentials (we are concerned here with degrees of dispersion where the particles retain the properties of an individual phase, not of particles molecularly dispersed, such as individual molecules or ions). These processes are of great importance in particular for colloidal systems. 

The important forces involved in the adsorption of metals on to particles are attractive electrostatic or van der Waals forces. These concepts explain many of the properties of colloids with respect to the adsorption of contaminants or ion-exchange factors and the aggregation of the colloids into larger particles. These larger particulates may then descend the water column to the sediment. This occurs most notably in estuarine environments, as increases in salinity lead to estuarine silting. Binding of electrolytes to hydrophobic colloids is often used to facilitate their coagulation and precipitation. 

Because they occur as large aggregates, micelles, most (90-95%) of the casein in milk is sedimented by centrifugation at 100000 g for 1 h. Sedimentation is more complete at higher (30-37°C) than at low (2°C) temperature, at which some of the casein components dissociate from the micelles and are non-sedimentable. Casein prepared by centrifugation contains its original level of colloidal calcium phosphate and can be redispersed as micelles with properties essentially similar to the original micelles. 

CLAYS. The terms chy or cloys commonly refer to cither rocks that are consolidated or unconsolidated sediments, nr a group of minerals having unique properties. Traditionally, clays (rocks) are distinctive in al least two properties that render them technologically useful plasticity and composition. Clays are predominantly composed of hydrous phyllosilicates. referred to as clay minerals. These are hydrous silicates of Al. Mg. K, anti He. and other less ahundanl elements. Clay minerals arc extremely fine crystals or particles, often colloidal in size and usually plate-like in shape. The nonclay mineral portion of clays (rocks) may consist of other minerals, portions of rocks, and organic compounds. 

The effectiveness of zerovalent iron in removing arsenic from water also greatly depends on the properties of the iron. As(III) removal is especially effective with high surface area 1-120 nm spheres of zerovalent iron (Kanel et al., 2005). Provided that interfering anions (such as, carbonate, silicate, and phosphate) are insignificant, colloidal spheres of zerovalent iron could be injected into arsenic-contaminated soils, sediments, and aquifers for possible in situ remediation (Kanel et al., 2005, 1291). 

In this chapter the thermal motion of dissolved macromolecules and dispersed colloidal particles will be considered, as will their motion under the influence of gravitational and centrifugal fields. Thermal motion manifests itself on the microscopic scale in the form of Brownian motion, and on the macroscopic scale in the forms of diffusion and osmosis. Gravity (or a centrifugal field) provides the driving force in sedimentation. Among the techniques for determining molecular or particle size and shape are those which involve the measurement of these simple properties. 

In rivers and streams heavy metals are distributed between the water, colloidal material, suspended matter, and the sedimented phases. The assessment of the mechanisms of deposition and remobilization of heavy metals into and from the sediment is one task for research on the behavior of metals in river systems [IRGOLIC and MARTELL, 1985]. It was hitherto, usual to calculate enrichment factors, for instance the geoaccumulation index for sediments [MULLER, 1979 1981], to compare the properties of elements. Distribution coefficients of the metal in water and in sediment fractions were calculated for some rivers to find general aspects of the enrichment behavior of metals [FOR-STNER and MULLER, 1974]. In-situ analyses or laboratory experiments with natural material in combination with speciation techniques are another means of investigation [LANDNER, 1987 CALMANO et al., 1992], Such experiments manifest univariate dependencies for the metals and other components, for instance between different metals and nitrilotriacetic acid [FORSTNER and SALOMONS, 1991], but the interactions in natural systems are often more complex. 

There are many other indirect techniques for determining colloidal species size or size distribution. These include sedimentation/centrifugation, conductivity, x-ray diffraction, gas and solute adsorption, ultrafiltration, viscometric, diffusiometric, and ultrasonic methods [12,13,26,69,82], Two reasons for the large number of techniques are the range of properties that can be influenced by the size of dispersed species, and the wide range of sizes that may be encountered. The grains in soils and sediments can range from colloidal size up to the size of boulders. 

In this discussion of colloid stability we will explore the reasons why colloidal dispersions can have different degrees of kinetic stability and how these are influenced, and can therefore be modified, by solution and surface properties. Encounters between species in a dispersion can occur frequently due to any of Brownian motion, sedimentation, or stirring. The stability of the dispersion depends upon how the species interact when this happens. The main cause of repulsive forces is the electrostatic repulsion between like charged objects. The main cause of attractive forces is the van der Waals forces between objects. 

As discussed in Chapters 1-7, diffusion, Brownian motion, sedimentation, electrophoresis, osmosis, rheology, mechanics, interfacial energetics, and optical and electrical properties are among the general physical properties and phenomena that are primarily important in colloidal systems [12,13,26,57,58], Chemical reactivity and adsorption often play important, if not dominant, roles. Any physical chemical feature may ultimately govern a specific industrial process and determine final product characteristics, and any colloidal dispersions involved may be deemed either desirable or undesirable based on their unique physical chemical properties. Chapters 9-16 will provide some examples. 

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