PRODUCT DATA

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NUMBER 4936

Aqualon™ CMC
Technical Grade CarboxyMethylCellulose
Description
Aqualon CMC-T (technical grades) polymers are technical grades of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC).
They assay at 98.0% minimum CMC on a dry basis; the remainder consists of byproduct salts (primarily
sodium chloride and sodium glycolate). CMC-T grades are produced in several viscosity types, in powder and
granular forms.

Key Attributes
 Rheology control agent
 Thickening agent
 Suspending aid
 Stabilizer
 Dispersant
 Film-forming agent
 Binder
 Psuedoplastic or thixotropic behavior dependent on degree of substitution
 Water-retention agent

Applications and Usage Notes

 Paper:
o It can be applied at the size press or calender waterbox as a surface treatment to reduce
porosity, improve grease and oil holdout, control curl, and improve surface properties. It can
also be applied in a variety of converting operations because of its thickening, suspending, and
adhesive properties.
o When added to paper coatings, CMC contributes a high level of water retention and rheology
control to the coating formulation. These coating properties help to optimize coat-weight
control, improve coater runnability, and enhance finished sheet properties.
o Wet strength for paper towels.
 Mining: Used in a frothing-flotation process, pellet binder, and as a mineral dispersant
 Ceramics: Acts as a binder, film former, green strength additive, rheology modifier, suspension agent,
water retention agent/ controlled water release agent.
 Adhesives: Acts as a suspension agent, thickener, and film former.
 Explosives: Functions as a water blocking agent to prevent degradation of explosive from infiltration of
ground water in drilled charged blast holes, and gelling agent for high solids aqueous nitrate (and some other
salts) solutions.
 Welding Rods: Serves as a binder.
 Batteries: Used as a binder, film former, and dispersant.
 Cables: Water-blocking agent.
 Civil Engineering: Rheology modifier, suspension agent, binder, extrusion aid, water flow blocking agent.
 Mineral Slurries: Acts as a dispersant.
 Textiles and Leather: Used as a binder,additive used as a sizing and finishing agent, and suspension
agent.

All statements, information, and data presented herein are believed to be accurate and reliable, but are not to be taken as a guarantee, an express warranty, or an implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, or
representation, express or implied, for which Ashland assumes legal responsibility. ®Registered trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries. ™Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various
countries. *Trademark owned by a third party. © 2014, Ashland.
Rev. 01-2014
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Typical Product Properties

(a)
DS-Type Substitution range
7 0.65 to 0.90
(a) Ranges shown in this table are not necessarily current specifications

Typical Viscosity Ranges(b)

Grades Concentration Range

DS7 % 25°C mPa∙s
7MCT 2 300-600
7MT 2 300-600
7L10T 2 80-150
7LCT 2 25-50
7LT 2 25-50

(b)
Viscosity determined at 25°C using a Brookfield LVF viscometer.

Particle size distributions of Aqualon™ CMC

Aqualon CMC is available with different particle size distributions to meet various production and end use needs. The
typical particle size distributions available are in the tables below.

(d)
Designation Description Particle Size

On U.S. 30, 1% max

None Regular / Premium
On U.S. 40, 5% max

On U.S. 20, 1% max

C Coarse Through U.S. 40, 55% max
Through U.S. 80, 5% max

(d) All screens are U.S. Bureau of Standards sieve series

Particle Size (microns)

Designation Description
by Malvern laser diffraction

None Regular / Premium d(0.5): 0 - 250

C Coarse d(0.5): 430 – 900

Other typical properties of Aqualon CMC-T (a)

Moisture content, %, max 10.0

Bulk density, g/ml 0.75

pH of 2% solution 7.5

Purity, %, min 98.0

(a)
Not to be construed as specifications. Specifications are available by request.
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Packaging Information
Physical Net Wgt Net Wgt
Product Form Pkg Type (lbs) (kgs)
Aqualon™ CMC (All Grades) Powder Bag 50 lbs 22.6 kgs
Aqualon CMC (All Grades) Powder Pallet 2000 lbs 907.1 kgs
Packaging available in 1000 lbs and 2000 lbs bags upon request.

CASRN: 9004-32-4
CAS Name: Cellulose, carboxymethyl ether, sodium salt

Product Safety Information

Please see the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) regarding safety information.

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EMAIL: specialtiessolutions@ashland.com

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