SYNTHETIC CRYSTAL AGGREGATES OF XONOTLITE AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING SAME

Abstract: In synthetic, substantially spherical crystal aggregates of xonotlite having a particle size of more than 20 microns, and preferably up to 150 microns, up to 30% of the silicon atoms can be replaced by titanium or zirconium atoms, and inert particles can be incorporated in the crystal aggregates.

Description: The present invention relates to synthetic, substantially spherical crystal aggregates of xonotlite having a particle size greater than 20 microns, and preferably up to 150 microns, which contain homogeneously ions or heterogeneously foreign materials. Substantially spherical particles, 20 to 120 microns in size, composed of interlocked crystals of xonotlite and/or tobermorite or other calcium silicate hydrates are known. For example, xonotlite spherical particles are marketed by the firm Promat, Ratingen, under the name of "Promaxon". The preparation has been described in U.S. Patent Specifications No. 3,501,324 and 3,679,446 and in the EPS 0 009 836. They are mainly used for thermal insulation. From U.S. Patent No. 3,679,446 it is known to subsequently mix the crystal aggregates of calcium silicate hydrates formed with fillers to modify thereby the properties and to lower the price of the final products. The subsequent introduction of these fillers is effected because the synthesis of xonotlite under the conditions mentioned above is extremely sensitive to interference, so that first efforts were always made to carry out the formation of the xonotlite in the absence of foreign materials and interfering ions, and the more or less inert fillers were added only after the xonotlite formation. From WO 85/02839 it is known to add inert fillers such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride, calcium silicide, tin oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, manganese oxide and iron oxide to the starting slurry and thus to obtain a xonotlite, which includes therein heterogeneously distributed but physically united inert fillers. The sensitivity to interferences by foreign ions during the crystallization of the xonotlite formation is known from the literature. Thus, the presence of aluminium accelerates the formation of tobermorite and increases the temperature range in which tobermorite is stable. The presence of only 1 % of aluminium, based on the silicon content, will prevent the xonotlite formation or require a much higher temperature for the synthesis, resulting in a more expensive process. The aluminum content of clays such as bentonites, kaolinites etc. inhibits the formation of xonotlite. Aluminum tobermorite is formed and/or calcium aluminate hydrates as well as gels instead of tobermorite. With respect to iron and magnesium, it has been known that these ions also prevent the xonotlite formation. Applicants' own investigations have fully confirmed these results. In attempts to replace part of the calcium ions by copper, cobalt, nickel or zinc, xonotlite that had been originally formed disappeared rapidly. In the preparation of moulded calcium silicate articles according to German application DE-OS 33 06 341, because of this interference with the xonotlite crystallization, the material to be additionally introduced is added only in a second stage, after at least the calcium silicate hydrate of the type C-S-H(I) has already been formed. Then the added phases like glass fibres and silicon carbide will not interfere anymore with the conversion of C-S-H(I) to xonotlite. In Example 3 xonotlite is formed first, and only thereafter the additional phases are added. The process as described therein requires a twofold treatment under high pressure and, therefore, is economically unprofitable. According to other prior art, fully prepared xonotlite was always admixed with the desired additives such as mica, sawdust, cellulose fibres or strongly infrared-absorptive particles (according to German application DE-OS 29 40 230) for applications like thermal insulation or fire protection. It is the object of the present invention to develop synthetic, substantially spherical crystal aggregates of xonotlite having a particle size of at least 20 microns, and preferably up to 150 microns, and homogeneously or heterogeneously containing foreign ions or foreign particles in a manner as simple and economical as possible. Surprisingly it has been found that said object can be attained by modifications of the previous conventional xonotlite syntheses. More specifically, it is possible to homogeneously replace up to 30 % of the silicon atoms by titanium and/or zirconium atoms through the employment of a finely divided reactive titanium and/or zirconium oxyhydrate or oxyhalide in the case that the molar ratio of silicon + (titanium/zirconium) : calcium is approximately 1 : 1 and the reaction mixture is heated as fast as possible to the reaction temperature. In contrast thereto, with slow heating for reaction, xonotlite and calcium titanates and/or calcium zirconates, respectively, are simultaneously formed in microcrystalline form, which are also only enclosed in part in the crystal aggregates of the xonotlite. More or less inert particles having a particle size of more than 1 micron, on the other hand, are heterogeneously enclosed in the approximately spherical crystal aggregates of xonotlite in the case that they first are admixed with the SiO₂ and water and only thereafter with the hydrated or quick lime in a molar ratio of Si + Ti/Zr : Ca of approximately 1 : 1 and then are heated to the reaction temperature. As the more or less inert particles, more specifically, one may use mica, sawdust and cellulose fibres. As SiO₂, we understand crystalline or amorphous types or mixtures of them. More or less inert phases like mica, sawdust, cellulose fibres may be advantageously mixed first with an amorphous silica after which the remaining quantity of crystalline silica and lime is added. More specifically, if the inert particles are smaller than the xonotlite aggregates as normally obtained in the known processes, even upon inclusion of the inert particles approximately spherical structures are formed. Even mica containing aluminium can be incorporated in the xonotlite aggregates by using the process of the invention without terminating or preventing the xonotlite formation. If, however, mica is added by charging it into the aqueous hydrated lime slurry, then it will inhibit the xonotlite formation by release of aluminum. Apparently, in the course of the variant of the process of the invention, a thin protective layer of silicate is formed on the surface which prevents leaching the aluminum by hydrated lime. Thus, using the invention it is possible to interpenetrate mica homogeneously in the xonotlite crystal aggregates and to process these aggregates further in a per se known manner into insulating materials or fire protection materials, whereas according to the prior art it was only possible to mix xonotlite mechanically with mica and to mould the mixture. The free mica present in this mixture of the prior art can easily be oriented in the moulding process and creates weakness planes. Also the heterogeneous incorporation of sawdust or cellulose fibres in the xonotlite crystal aggregates according to the invention results in an essential improvement of the insulating materials manufactured therefrom. Since the surfaces of the aggregates consist of neat xonotlite, the crystal aggregates according to the invention can be processed in the same manner as the crystal aggregates fully consisting of neat xonotlite. At the same time the wood particles and fibres are intimately connected to the silicates matrix, performing better their role (increase of mechanical strength, increase of workability) and decreasing their negative influence (same negative effects on the calcium silicates matrix when lignin phases are present, CO release when the product is heated). By an incorporation of opacifying particles (opacifying referring to the heat transfer through a low density moulded product), the heat insulation at high temperatures is significantly improved. The said particles are more economically used and better homogenized in the silicate matrix. The thermal insulating performances are considerably improved for products obtained according to the invention in comparison to the classical calcium silicate based products. The technique described by this invention allows the manufacture of very homogeneous, low density but mechanically strong insulating materials, easy to be handled, worked, cut, drilled. Actually high performance thermal insulation products ("superinsulators") are difficult to be worked (cut and sawed, drilled) and special tools (laser) are sometimes needed. These insulation products are dry mixed compounds shaped in very brittle forms or enclosed in special fibre tissue or systems to preserve their shape. The new aggregates of xonotlite provided by this invention in addition can be used as starting material for acid extraction of calcium atoms in order to obtain a silica, wherein up to 30% of the silicon atoms are replaced by titanium and/or zirconium. Such an acid extraction is described in European application EP-A-85 103 873.7. The acid hydrolysis is carried out preferably at a pH-range of from 0.6 to 3.0 at approximately room temperature with an acid that does not form a sparingly soluble calcium salt. A preferred acid is sulfamic acid. In principle, however, all other acids mentioned in EP-A-85 103 873.7 can also be used with good results. The products of the invention and the processes for preparing them are further illustrated by way of the following examples. Example 1 160 ml of water are heated at 60°C. 11.6 g of zirconium oxychloride octahydrate (ZrOCl₂ x 8H₂O) are added, and the mixture is stirred for 5 min. Then 104 g of calcium oxide are added, and the mixture is stirred for 20 min. 127 g of SiO₂ are added, and the mixture is stirred for 3 min. Thereafter, 2400 ml of water having a temperature of 60°C are added, and the entire mixture is transferred into an autoclave. It is then heated at 210°C for 5 hours by introduction under saturated steam conditions (19 bar). After the reaction has been completed, a slurry of approximately spherical crystal aggregates having the usual size distribution of from 20 to 120 microns is obtained. The xonotlite structure has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. An energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis showed that the zirconium has been homogeneously incorporated in the crystal structure. No specific accumulations of zirconium can be determined. In comparison to the xonotlite aggregates having been analogously prepared in the absence of zirconium, it is observed that the individual needle-like crystals are from 2 to 3 times longer. Example 2 A mixture comprising 49% of calcium oxide, 45% of SiO₂ (ground quartz having an average particles size of about 14 microns) and 6% of amorphous titanium dioxide having an average particles size of about 5 microns is suspended in water, a water/solids content of 13 being formed. The suspension is stirred in an autoclave at 209°C for 7 hours. The temperature in the reaction vessel increased from 70°C to 209°C within 2 hours. The slurry thus obtained is filtered and dried at 110°C. The resulting product was identified by X-ray diffraction as being a xonotlite containing only traces of perovskite (CaTiO₃). The final product could be identified by light microscopy as a mixture of spherical crystal aggregates having an average diameter of about 100 microns. Example 3 A mixture consisting of 45% of CaO, 33% of SiO₂ (ground quartz as in Example 2) and 22% of amorphous titanium dioxide (as in Example 1) is suspended in water to give a water/solids content of 13. The suspension is hydrothermally treated in an autoclave with stirring. The heating rate from 70°C to 206°C is 6 hours, and the mixture is maintained at the latter temperature for another 7 hours. The slurry thus obtained is filtered and dried at 110°C. X-ray investigation of the powder showed that, in comparison to the slurry obtained in Example 2, xonotlite and considerable amounts of perovskite (CaTiO₃) were present. The appearance of the crystal aggregates under the light microscope was similar to that of Example 2. Example 4 An aqueous solution of 15% of titanium trichloride, which contained 10% of hydrochloric acid, is hydrolyzed in water, and a mixture of quick lime and ground quartz is added as in Example 2. Thus, the mixture contains 2% by weight of TiCl₃, 46% by weight of calcium oxide and 52% by weight of SiO₂. The water/solids content is 17. The suspension thus obtained is hydrothermally treated in an autoclave with stirring and that is heated to 209°C within 2 hours and then maintained at said temperature for another 3 hours. The slurry thus obtained is filtered and dried at 110°C. X-ray investigation showed that only xonotlite was contained in the product. The substantially spherical crystal aggregates of the xonotlite corresponded to those of Example 2. Example 5 Further experiments in accordance with Example 2 have resulted in the finding that useful results are obtained when the mixture containing from 30 to 50% by weight of calcium oxide and from 30 to 55% by weight of SiO₂ (also in the form of amorphous silica) is mixed with from 0.1 to 30% by weight of titanium dioxide and rapidly caused to reach the reaction temperature. The titanium dioxide may be present as amorphous titanium dioxide or also in the form of titanium salts that hydrolyse under the conditions. Thus, titanium (III) chloride, titanium (IV) chloride and titanium (IV) sulfate can be employed. The ratio water/solids may be varied from 9 to 20. The reaction temperature should be 200°C to 230°C, and the reaction time should be from 5 to 15 hours.

Claims: Synthetic, substantially spherical crystal aggregates of xonotlite having a particle size of at least 20 microns, characterized in that up to 30 % of the silicon atoms have been replaced by titanium and/or zirconium atoms. Crystal aggregates according to claim 1 of particle size of 20 to 150 microns. Process for producing synthetic, substantially spherical crystal aggregates of xonotlite having a particle size of at least 20 microns, by the reaction of finely divided SiO₂, hydrated or quick lime and water at a temperature between 140°C and 230°C and in stirring conditions, wherein up to 30 % of the silicon atoms have been replaced by titanium and/ or zirconium atoms, characterised in that titanium and/or zirconium is employed in the form of a finely divided reactive oxyhydrate or oxyhalide, the molar ratio of silicon + (titanium/zirconium) : calcium is substantially 1 : 1 and the reaction mixture is heated rapidly to the reaction temperature. Process of claim 3 for producing aggregate of particle size of 20 to 150 micrometer. Method of replacing silicon atoms in silica by titanium or zirconium so that no more than 30 % of the silicon atoms are replaced wherein synthetic, substantially spherical crystal aggregates of xonotlite of particle size of 20 to 150 microns, having up to 30% of the silicon atoms replaced by titanium or zirconium, are subjected to acid extraction of the calcium atoms.

Inventors: ANTON, OCTAVIAN, DR., VAN WOUWE, DIRK
Applicants: REDCO N.V.
Application year: 1986
Main classification: C01B33
IPC codes: C01B33, C04B28