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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-03-18 Origin: Site
The organophosphorus molecule structure contains multiple phosphonic acid groups (-PO₃H₂), which can form stable cyclic chelates with metal ions such as calcium, magnesium, and iron in water. This characteristic gives it three core capabilities: Chelating blockade: "locking" scale-forming ions in the solution to prevent the crystallization of hard scales such as calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate; Lattice distortion: interfering with the growth direction of scale crystals, making the scale structure loose and easy to fall off; Adsorption film formation: forming a nano-level protective layer on the metal surface to resist the corrosion attack of dissolved oxygen and chloride ions.
ATMP (amino trimethylene phosphonic acid): inhibits scale formation by complexing metal ions, suitable for scale inhibition in high hardness water.
HEDP (hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid): has both corrosion inhibition and scale inhibition functions and excellent high-temperature resistance.
PBTCA (2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4 tricarboxylic acid): has a significant inhibitory effect on calcium carbonate scale and is widely used in industrial circulating water systems.
Contains organic phosphorus sulfonic acid, polycarboxylic acid, and other ingredients; has both dispersibility and corrosion inhibition; and is suitable for reverse osmosis membranes and heat exchange equipment.
1. HEDP (hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid)—the "all-round guard" of high-temperature water systems
Technical highlights: It still maintains a 90% scale inhibition rate above 80°C, has strong antioxidant properties, and is suitable for high alkalinity (pH 9-11) circulating cooling water systems. Successful Case: After a chemical plant cooling tower adopted the HEDP compounding solution, the annual scale thickness was reduced from 5 mm to 0.3 mm, the energy-saving rate increased by 22%, and the pickling frequency was reduced by 80%.
2. ATMP (aminotrimethylphosphonic acid) - the "nemesis" of high-hardness water quality. Technical highlights: The calcium tolerance is as high as 2500 mg/L, with excellent cost performance, and it is widely used in boiler water treatment and metal cleaning.
Industry application: After adding ATMP to the boiler feed water system of a thermal power plant, the steam efficiency increased by 15%, and the annual coal consumption was reduced by 1,200 tons.
3. DTPMPA (diethylenetriaminepentamethylphosphonic acid) - the "special forces" of iron-containing water systems. Technical highlights: The unique five phosphonic acid groups have a chelating ability for Fe³⁰ that is three times that of ordinary agents, specializing in steel mills and oil field reinjection water systems.
Measured data: The iron ion concentration in the reinjection water of an oil field dropped from 8 mg/L to 0.5 mg/L, and the corrosion rate of the oil pipeline was reduced to 0.02 mm/year (national standard ≤0.075 mm/year).
4. PBTCA (2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid)—a "double-effect trump card" for harsh environments. Technical highlights: It has both carboxylic acid and phosphonic acid groups, and the scale and corrosion inhibition are synergistically enhanced, especially suitable for seawater desalination pretreatment with chloride ion content >5000 mg/L.
Remove organic phosphorus pollutants through precipitation reaction, suitable for industrial wastewater treatment.
oxidative degradation of organic phosphorus into harmless phosphates, suitable for highly toxic pesticide wastewater.
Adsorption-type phosphorus removal agent Polyaluminum lithium silicate/polyaluminum lithium: adsorb phosphorus through ion exchange and adjust the pH value of water quality at the same time.
Lattice distortion: By changing the direction of crystal growth, the scale particles are made smaller and more dispersed, inhibiting the deposition of scale-forming salts.
Typical products and scenarios
Circulating cooling water system: HEDP is suitable for high alkalinity and high hardness water, and PBTCA performs well in high temperature and high hardness environments.
Boiler water treatment: ATMP improves thermal efficiency and extends equipment life by inhibiting the formation of calcium carbonate scale.
Oilfield water injection: DTPMP and other products are used to prevent scaling of pipelines and equipment and improve oilfield development efficiency.
Protective film: Organic phosphorus compounds such as ATMP form a protective film on the metal surface to reduce contact with corrosive media.
Synergistic effect: The combination with zinc salts and molybdates can significantly enhance the corrosion inhibition effect.
Typical products and scenarios
Industrial cooling system: HEDP and ATMP are widely used in thermal power generation, refineries, and other scenarios to reduce metal corrosion rates.
Metal surface treatment: ATMP is used for electroplating pretreatment, with both decontamination and corrosion inhibition functions.
Water quality stabilization and dispersion: Organic phosphorus products (such as PBTCA) can stabilize water quality and disperse suspended particles, improving the operating efficiency of the reverse osmosis membrane system.
Detergent auxiliary: ATMP is used as a chelating agent to prevent scale formation during the washing process.
Wastewater treatment Organophosphorus pesticide wastewater: A combined process of hydrogen peroxide and electrocatalytic oxidation is used to convert organic phosphorus into inorganic phosphorus and then remove it by flocculation.
Organophosphorus pollutant removal: Removers such as iron salts and copper oxychloride purify water bodies through precipitation or oxidation reactions.
Combination technology: Organic phosphorus compounds are often compounded with polycarboxylic acids, zinc salts, etc., to achieve a synergistic improvement in scale inhibition, corrosion inhibition, and dispersion performance.
Organophosphorus products have become core chemicals for industrial water treatment, oilfield development, and wastewater purification due to their efficient chelation, scale inhibition, and corrosion inhibition properties. Through compounding technology and process optimization, its application scenarios are further expanded to reverse osmosis systems, metal processing, and other fields.
Overall size:
In 2023, the market size of China's water treatment agent industry will reach 44.56 billion yuan, of which organic phosphorus-related products such as scale inhibitors and corrosion inhibitors account for about 25%.
As a core application field, industrial circulating water treatment agents are expected to exceed 200 billion yuan in the global market in 2025, and China's growth rate will remain above 6%. Product growth points Scale inhibitors: dominated by organic phosphonic acid (such as ATMP, HEDP), occupying more than 30% of the industrial water treatment agent market. New environmentally friendly products, such as macromolecular organic phosphorus PAPEMP, due to their high chelating performance and high-temperature resistance, have become a new growth point in the field of reverse osmosis systems and high-salt wastewater treatment.
The overall concentration of the industry is low, with small and medium-sized enterprises dominating, but leading enterprises are gradually expanding their market share through technological upgrades. International giants (such as Nalco and BASF) occupy the high-end market with their technological advantages, especially in the field of environmentally friendly organophosphorus products, forming a competitive barrier.
Due to their high industrial density, East China and South China account for more than 60% of the domestic demand for organophosphorus water treatment agents.
Driven by the rich phosphate resources, the western region has gradually become the core area for raw material supply and primary product production.
Environmental protection policy promotion:
Under China's "dual carbon" goals, the water treatment industry has a surge in demand for low-toxic and degradable organophosphorus products, and the annual growth rate of the environmentally friendly scale inhibitor market exceeds 10%.
The stricter industrial wastewater discharge standards (such as the "Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law") have forced companies to adopt high-efficiency organophosphorus dephosphorization agents and composite treatment solutions.
Downstream demand expansion:
The demand for circulating water treatment in high-water-consuming industries such as thermal power, petrochemicals, and metallurgy continues to grow, driving the increase in the use of organophosphorus agents.
The expansion of municipal sewage treatment plants (4,706 in 2022) and the popularization of membrane technology will drive the growth of demand for reverse osmosis scale inhibitors.
Main Challenges:
Raw material fluctuations: The prices of upstream raw materials such as phosphate rock and yellow phosphorus fluctuate significantly due to environmental protection restrictions. In 2024, the price of phosphate rock will increase by 10%-15% year-on-year, squeezing the profit margins of enterprises.
Technical threshold: The stability requirements of organophosphorus agents for high-salt and highly toxic wastewater treatment are increased, and small and medium-sized enterprises are facing the dilemma of insufficient R&D investment.
Future Trends:
Product Upgrade: Develop low-phosphorus/phosphorus-free corrosion inhibitors and biodegradable scale inhibitors to cope with the upgrading of environmental protection regulations.
Technology Integration: Nanomaterials, photocatalytic technology, and organophosphorus agents are combined to improve the treatment efficiency of difficult-to-degrade wastewater (such as pesticide wastewater).
Industry Chain Integration: Phosphorus chemical companies extend downstream and deploy water treatment agent business to increase added value.
China's Largest Producer of Organophosphorus Water Treatment Chemicals - Jinan Future Chemical
