Crystallization of CaCO3 in the presence of sulfate and additives: Experimental and molecular dynamics simulation studies

The effects of sulfate and BHTPMP (Bis (hexamethylene) triaminepentakis (methylene phosphonic acid)) on the crystallization rate, phase composition and morphology of calcium carbonate have been studied. It was observed that sulfate reduces the nucleation rate and favors the formation of aragonite form in the calcium carbonate precipitate. Moreover, in the presence of sulfate the rhombohedral morphology of the calcite crystals is modified, and during the formation of calcite, the development of {1 0 4} faces are more significantly prohibited than {1 1 0} faces. In the presence of sulfate together with BHTPMP, the crystallization process is inhibited and the modified morphology and the dominant calcite form are observed in the solid. The results from molecular dynamics simulations show the more strong combination of sulfate with calcite surface, in particular the {1 0 4} face, in comparison with the aragonite surface. The strong interaction of BHTPMP with sulfate and the aragonite surface favors the formation of the dominant calcite phase in the precipitate.

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► Reduction in the crystallization rate of CaCO3 by sulfate ions.
► Modifying effects of sulfate on the morphologies, phases and crystal faces.
► Interactions between crystal faces and additives such as sulfate and BHTPMP.