Chelants to inhibit magnesia (MgO) hydration

Magnesium oxide (MgO) presents excellent refractoriness and high resistance to basic slag. However, in the presence of water, MgO undergoes an expansive hydration reaction generating Mg(OH)₂, which can lead to swelling and cracking. In this work, additives called chelants were added to dead burnt magnesia suspensions in order to check their effectiveness as inhibitors of the magnesium oxide hydration. Zeta potential, ionic conductivity, pH and temperature measurements were used to provide information related to the magnesia surface and the chelant adsorption. Assessment of the hydration degree and volumetric expansion provided indications of the amount of Mg(OH)₂ formed, as well as its likelihood to damage the ceramic bodies. The results showed that citric acid can inhibit hydration to some extent, whereas ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was more effective in preventing volume expansion. An addition of 0.3 wt% of these chelants was sufficient to prevent hydration and avoid expansion.