Polyaluminum Chloride Price Trends

About Polyaluminum Chloride. Polyaluminum Chloride (a.k.a. PAC) is a partially hydrolyzed aluminum chloride polymer. PAC is not a single substance, rather a whole spectrum of inorganic polymers, which may present distinct physical and chemical properties. PAC products are typically handled and used as aqueous solutions, but solid products are also sold.

Commercial Grades. PAC 18% (solution, 18 wt% Al2O3); high basicity PAC (9 wt% Al2O3); mid-basicity powder (30 wt% Al2O3); PAC sulfate solution (solution, also containing sulfate ions); and aluminum chlorohydrate (Al2(OH)5Cl·2H2O).

Uses. PAC is mainly used as coagulant and flocculating agent in water purification applications - when added to the water, it combines to existing impurities and generates a floc, which can be easily separated from water by settling. Polyaluminum Chloride is more efficient than most coagulants because it allows coagulation by adding lower amounts of metal than alum or iron salts, for instance. While PAC 18% is typically used for treatment of urban or industrial effluents and neutral sizing in paper making, high-basicity PAC 9% is used for treatment of potable waters. Aluminum chlorohydrates, in turn, are used in antiperspirants regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Other PAC uses include preparation of pillared clay catalysts, stabilization of formation clays, catalysts in durable-press finishing of fabrics, and preparation of alumina-coated silica sols.