What Is Hydroxyethyl Cellulose. Applications and Properties

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose

 

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose is a white, free-flowing granular powder, prepared from the alkali cellulose and ethylene oxide (or ethylene chlorohydrin) by etherification, and belongs to non-ionic soluble cellulose ethers, both soluble in hot and cold water. Owing to good thickening, suspending, dispersing, emulsifying, film-forming, water-protecting and providing protective colloid properties, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose has been widely used in oil exploitation, coating, building, medicine, food, textile, papermaking, polymerization and other fields.

In the daily chemical industry such as toothpaste, soap, lotion and cosmetics, and ointment, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose acts as a thickener, dispersing agent, binder and stabilizer to increase the density, lubrication, and mercerized appearance of products. SidleyCel™ Hydroxyethyl Cellulose products are applicable to personal care and cosmetics, with purity over 95%. The reliable quality and high stability have been recognized by customers.

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose has wide applications: In the paint industry, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose can provide the latex paint especially high PVA paints with excellent coating performance. When the paint is thick paste, no flocculation will occur. Hydroxyethyl Cellulose has higher thickening effects. It can reduce the dosage, improve the cost-effectiveness of formulation, and enhance the washing resistance of paints. Hydroxyethyl Cellulose is all treated by the delayed dissolution, and in the case of adding dry powder, can effectively prevent caking and make sure hydration starts after the adequate dispersion of Hydroxyethyl Cellulose powder.

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose of daily-chemical grade has good mildew-resistant performance, system thickening and rheology modifying functions, as well as good water retention and film formation, and gives the final product full visual effects and all necessary application performance. The surface-treated Hydroxyethyl Cellulose has cold water solubility, and dry powder can be used and directly added into water. Good dispersion of the product in water can avoid clumping of product, and the occurrence of uneven dissolution. The final aqueous solution is uniform, continuous and full.

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used as a thickener and cementing agent of workover fluid for oil wells. It helps to provide with the clear solution with a low fixed content, thus greatly reducing the damage to the structure of oil wells.  The liquid with Hydroxyethyl Cellulose used for thickening gets easily decomposed by the acid, enzyme or oxidizing agent, and greatly enhances the ability of hydrocarbon recovery. In the oil well fluid, hydroxyethyl cellulose is used as the carrier of proppant. These fluids can be easily decomposed by the the processes described above.

Applications

Description/Benefits

Coating ,Painting  Industrial

Hydroxyethy Cellulose provides the latex paints especially high PVA paints with excellent coating performance. When the paint is thick paste, no flocculation will occur.

Applications in Oil Well Cementing and Drilling

Hydroxyethy Cellulose can be used as a thickener and cementing agent of workover fluid for oil wells. It helps to provide with the clear solution with a low fixed content, thus greatly reducing the damage to the structure of oil wells.

Application Guide for Daily Chemical Industry

Hydroxyethy Cellulose of daily-chemical grade has good mildew-resistant performance, system thickening and rheology modifying functions, as well as good water retention and film formation, and gives the final product full visual effects and all necessary application performance.

 

 

Ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose: [C6H7O2 (OH)x (OC2H5)y [O(CH2CH2O)mH]z]nEthyl Hydroxyethyl Cellulose is cellulose in which both ethyl and hydroxyethyl groups are attached to the anhydroglucose units by ether linkages. Ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose is prepared from cellulose by treatment with alkali, ethylene oxide and ethyl chloride. The article of commerce may be specified further by the viscosity of its aqueous solutions. more
Hydroxyethyl cellulose is is a thickening or gelling agent made from cellulose. It is used as an ingredient in solutions such as household cleaning products, soaps, and shampoos. Hydroxyethyl cellulose thickens these solutions and reduces the amount of suds or foam they. This increases the cleaning effect because colloids surround the dirt particles, which then wash away with water. more
hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), a nonionic, water-soluble polymer, is a white, free-flowing granular powder. It is made by reacting ethylene oxide with alkali-cellulose under rigidly controlled conditions. Purified hydroxyethylcellulose for personal care and cosmetic applications is typically sold at 95.0 percent minimum purity (dry basis).Solutions of hydroxyethylcellulose are pseudoplastic or shear-thinning. As a result, personal care products formulated with hydroxyethylcellulose dispense rich and thick from the container, but spread easily on hair and skin.hydroxyethylcellulose has applications in multiple markets including adhesives and sealants, advanced ceramics, building and construction, ceramics, pottery and porcelain, commercial and institutional, oil and gas technologies, metal castings and foundry, paint and coatings, personal care pharmaceutical and pulp and paper. more
Hydroxyethyl cellulose is a gelling and thickening agent derived from cellulose. It is widely used in cosmetics, cleaning solutions, and other household products.[1] Hydroxyethyl cellulose and methyl cellulose are frequently used with hydrophobic drugs in capsule formulations, to improve the drugs’ dissolution in the gastrointestinal fluids. This process is known as “Hydrophilization”.Hydroxyethyl cellulose is the main ingredient in the lubricant KY Jelly. It is also a key ingredient in the formation of big bubbles as it possesses the ability to dissolve in water but also provide structural strength to the soap bubble. more
There are different grades of Hydroxethyl Cellulose with varying formulation requirements. Hydroxethyl Cellulose (HEC) is a free-flowing, extremely easy to use, granular powder that easily disperses into room temperature water without clumping or forming “fish-eyes”. We are currently the only distributor for this particular Hydroxyethcellose (HEC) product, therefore other Hydroxethyl Cellulose  products will likely require different formulation technique and procedures.Hydroxethyl Cellulose (HEC) has an exceptional skin feel and is the perfect ingredient to make crystal clear serums for water soluble active ingredients. It can also be used to make crystal clear, water soluble hair styling gels. In addition, Hydroxethyl Cellulose (HEC) offers excellent functionality when used in the water phase of emulsions to build viscosity and stability. However, Hydroxethyl Cellulose (HEC) is not an emulsifier and will not emulsify oils into water. more
Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) is a non-ionic rheology modifier derived from cellulose (wood), a renewable raw material.  Like all polymers (gums), the use of Hydroxyethylcellulose in your personal care products will change the flow properties of water.  This can benefit a variety of personal care products allowing you to create crystal clear serums, softer creams and lotions, and enhanced cleansing systems.more
In oildrillingA nonionic cellulose derivative with hydroxyethyl groups attached to the polymer structure. Hydroxyethylcellulose is used as a viscosifier in brines and saline fracturing fluids, workover fluids, completion fluids and drill-in fluids. It gives pseudoplastic rheology but essentially no gel strength development. Hydroxyethylcellulose offers little fluid-loss control, other than its rheological effects. Hydroxyethylcellulose is seldom used in drilling fluids. Cellulose fibers are reacted with caustic soda and ethylene oxide to form Hydroxyethylcellulose. Hydroxyethyl groups attach to the OH groups of the polysaccharide structure by ether linkages. A high degree of substitution (from 1.5 to 2.5 out of 3 maximum) gives Hydroxyethylcellulose superior solubility in water and various brines. Being nonionic, it is not precipitated by hardness ions and disperses well at high salinity. Hydroxyethylcellulose is not degraded by common bacteria. more
Hydroxyethyl Cellulose or HEC is a thickening agent that is used in cosmetics.  There are a lot of thickeners, as well as reasons to use certain thickeners.  Cetyl Alcohol is a great thickener and feels really wonderful, but some people might be sensitive to it.  Cetearyl Alcohol is a nice thickener, but might not have quite as nice of a feel to it.  Xanthan Gum, which is a food additive and also a cosmetic, can be used in place of HEC, but has some ionic incompatibility issues in certain products, which is why I alternatively use HEC in some situations. Both Xanthan Gum and HEC are actually water stabilizers and help to create a more stable emulsion in an unstable oil-and-water environment, which is what any lotion is.  Basic chemistry states that oil and water do not mix.  When you make lotion, you must add an emulsifier, but sometimes an emulsifier alone does not create the most stabile environment and a water stabilizer is needed.  Depending on the situation, I use both HEC and Xanthan gum. more
Hydroxyethylcellulose History and OriginHydroxyethylcellulose is derived from cellulose and is used in many industries such as skin care products, hair care products, cleaning solutions and many other common household products that are used every day by the general public. Its importance in the field of medicine makes it an indispensable ingredient in making hydrophobic drugs and medications that are usually packaged in capsule forms. Hydroxyethylcellulose makes this medication easily absorbed by the walls of the gastro intestinal system.Hydroxyethylcellulose Modern UsesDuring today’s modern times, Hydroxyethylcellulose was created to improve the quality of many care and cleaning products so as to dissolve perfectly in water. This makes this an indispensable additive in most personal care items such as shampoos, body washes, moisturizing gels, shower and bath products.In the cosmetic industry, Hydroxyethylcellulose is perfect in thickening cosmetic emulsions such as concealers, foundations and mascaras. It makes these products easy to apply onto the skin and to remain on the skin as well.This chemical is also found in many household cleaners, household products and other personal care items. more

Mix viscous HydroxyEthylCellulose solutions, using the NovAseptic HS mixer, at small & large scales

This mixing demonstration illustrates when pilot scale mixing evaluations are developed beforehand it simplifies larger scale mixing trials and improves the likelihood of an efficient mixing process. more

Cellulose, 2-hydroxyethyl ether 2-Hydroxyethyl celluloseFormula: (C2H602)xMolecular mass: variable (polymer) moreHydroxyethyl Cellulose Synonyms

 Also learn more about Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose 

 

HydroxyEthyl Cellulose in Drugs and Food

HydroxyEthyl Cellulose in Drugs and Food