Investigation of mixing and deaeration of innovative liquid calcium carbonate formulation that protects trees and fruits from damage caused by excessive UV exposure and heat stress

生物刺激素防晒霜被美国的果树和坚果种植者广泛而成功地使用。目前，该防晒产品在加拿大没有销售或营销。这使得加拿大的种植者相对于边境的种植者处于越来越不利的地位，后者正从该产品的应用中受益。Imasco矿业公司计划在不列颠哥伦比亚省建立一个新工厂，每年生产80万加仑的这种生物刺激素防晒霜，这将导致每年1600万美元的销售额。这种防晒霜由62%的超细碳酸钙、31%的水和其他7种微量成分组成。在这种表现出非牛顿行为的超细颗粒的高浓度浆料的配方中，实现一致，高质量的混合是困难的。一些问题是不稳定的胶体，不完全分散，颗粒聚集，过度沉淀，偏析和曝气。因此，伊马斯科正在寻求与瑞尔森大学合作，研究防晒霜配方的混合和脱氧，以保护植物和水果免受过度紫外线照射和热应激造成的损害。该项目的主要目标是通过使用断层扫描、内窥镜、流变学和先进的计算流体动力学技术，确定生产防晒霜的高效混合器和除氧器的最佳设计参数。伊马斯科将利用这项研究项目的发现，在其新的防晒霜生产工厂。这将使Imasco通过建立其专有的碳酸钙磨粉操作和最先进的泥浆混合和除氧操作的独特组合程序，引领北美生物刺激素防晒霜行业。加拿大将成为Imasco的本土市场，并向其潜在的国际市场展示。这家新生产工厂的投产将在加拿大创造许多就业岗位。这也将带来充足的出口销售，增加加拿大税务局、不列颠哥伦比亚省和萨里市的税基。该项目还将培养一名博士后和两名博士生，他们将获得宝贵的行业经验。

Bio-stimulant sunscreens are widely and successfully utilized by tree fruit and tree nut farmers in the USA. Presently, there are no sales or marketing of this sunscreen product in Canada. This places Canadian growers at an increasing disadvantage to growers across the border, who are benefitting from the application of this product. Imasco Minerals Inc. is planning to build a new plant in British Columbia for the production of 800,000 gallons/year of this bio-stimulant sunscreen, which will lead to $16,000,000/year sales. The sunscreen consists of 62% ultrafine calcium carbonate, 31% water and 7 other minor ingredients. There are difficulties in achieving consistent, high quality mixing during the formulation of this highly concentrated slurry of ultrafine particles which exhibits non-Newtonian behavior. Some of the problems are unstable colloids, incomplete dispersion, particle aggregation, excessive sedimentation, segregation, and aeration. Thus, Imasco is seeking to collaborate with Ryerson University to investigate mixing and deaeration of the sunscreen formulation that protects plants and fruits from the damage caused by excessive UV exposure and heat stress. The main objective of the proposed project is to determine the optimal design parameters for an efficient mixer and deaerator for the production of the sunscreen via the use of tomography, endoscopy, rheometery, and advanced computational fluid dynamics techniques. Imasco will utilize the findings of this research project in its new sunscreen production plant. This will enable Imasco to lead the North American bio-stimulant sunscreen industry by establishing a uniquely combined program of its proprietary calcium carbonate milling operation and a state-of-the-art slurry mixing and deaeration operations. Canada will be Imasco's home market and show case to its potential international market. The operation of this new production plant will lead to the creation of many job positions in Canada. This will also result in ample export sales, increased tax base for Revenue Canada, Province of BC, and Municipality of Surrey. This project will also contribute to the training of one postdoctoral fellow and two Ph.D. students, who will gain invaluable industrial experience.