What Is Zinc Carbonate Used For?

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uses of zinc carbonate

Zinc carbonate is a white and odourless sand-like substance used for many different purposes. It occurs naturally as zinc spar, or smithsonite, a natural mineral that is even used as decoration.

As it’s insoluble in water, you can find zinc carbonate across multiple types of industries, from cosmetics, anti-dandruff shampoos, pottery, rubber, and even some types of medicine.

In the drilling industry, however, zinc carbonate is primarily used for its flame retardant properties. The substance can be quite effective, although the final choice can sometimes come down to the type of drilling fluid you are using. The blog post from Bisley International can help shed some light on how zinc carbonate works, and how to make the right choice.

How Does Zinc Carbonate Work for Drilling?

The product comes in fine particle size with very good dispersibility, which makes it a great choice for drilling fluids as well as trapping different types of gases from escaping to the surface, such as carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulphide. Zinc carbonate can convert hydrogen sulphide into bisulphite and sulphite ions, which are a lot less dangerous and will remain in the flued.

This scavenger can be used to create zinc borate, a commonly used substance for flame retarding and smile suppressing in plastics, textiles, fibres, rubbers, and more. It can be used for both halogen-based and halogen-free systems as it degrades endothermically and releases water at temperatures above 290 °C. This cools the flames and reduces the energy of the fire tremendously.

Zinc borate behaves as a synergist in combination with halogenated compounds, which means you will need lower amounts of these flame retardants.

Zinc Carbonate vs. Zinc Oxide

Both zinc carbonate and zinc oxide are hydrogen sulphide scavengers, albeit they work a bit differently. For one thing, zinc carbonate is commonly used in water-based drilling fluids because the compound is water-insoluble.

On the other hand, zinc oxide, while also water-insoluble, is more commonly used for oil-based and synthetic-based drilling fluids, as it performs much better in these cases. The results are often the same – preventing hydrogen sulphide from escaping and causing unwanted havoc throughout the site, but the decision between them should be essentially made based on which type of drilling fluid you are using.

Purchase High-Quality Scavengers from Bisley International

At Bisley International, we provide top-quality products for a variety of different industries. Our selection includes both zinc carbonate and zinc oxide scavengers to help you reduce the risk of hydrogen sulphite escaping no matter which type of drilling fluid you are using.

Additionally, we are committed to helping all our clients access the right products to help their operation. If you are looking for a particular type of zinc carbonate or oxide, feel free to reach out to us with any special requests. We’re always happy to help.