GROUP I

PRESENTED BY.

M.USMAN BAJWA

ID #060820063

M.SULAMAN MUSHTAQ ID #050620122

PRESENTED TO.

Mr. HAMMAD MOHSIN

UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY

ALGINATE FIBER
What is Alginate?
Alginate is natural fiber which is extract
from plants. It is a viscous gum that is
abundant in the cell walls of brown algae.

INTRODUCTION
Alginate is found in a wide variety of brown
seaweeds and is present as a structural
polysaccharide. Alginate is made up of a linear
block copolymer of -L- gularonic acid and -Dmannuronic acid .The type of structure is
influenced by the seaweed source as well as the
growing conditions of the weed .

Alginate bearing Weeds are typically found in

temperature or cold water. Major commercial
sources of alginates are the giant kelp from
California. The major manufacturers are based near
the weed sources in San Diego, Scotland and
Norway. More recently manufacturers have been
developing in Asia.
Alginate can also produced from a bacterial source.

Photographs About Alginate .

Shore cast Laminaria .

Feed Seaweed.

Mixed Weed.

HISTORY OF ALGINATE
CHEMISTRY

Algae are one of the worlds oldest lifeforms, being

present in the pre Cambrian era (Engel,
1961).Although the so called higher plants
developed stems, leaves and a root system once the
marine algae had utilised light in photosynthesis their
development seems to have come to a halt.

WHAT IS SEAWEED?
A Plant that grows in the ocean that is called as
seaweeds.
Seaweed, name commonly used for the multicellular
marine algae. Simpler forms, consisting of one cell or
a few cells, are not generally called seaweed; these
tiny plants help to make up plankton. The more
highly developed types of seaweed usually have a
basal disk, that is known as holdfast, and a frond of
varying length and shape, which often resembles a
plant in having stem like and leaf like parts.

STRUCTURE OF ALGINATE
FIBER
Alginate was originally thought to consist of a
uniform polymer of mannuronic acid. the
presence of guluronic acid residues and it is now
understood that alginate is a linear co-polymer
of -D-Mannuronic acid and -L-Guluronic
acid.
Sodium polymannuronic acid

Depending on the weed source and growing

conditions the ratio of mannuronic and guluronic
acid can vary. It is also known that the block
structure within the alginate can vary significantly.
The poly guluronic acid blocks bind significantly
more effectively with calcium ions than the poly
mannuronic acid blocks

CO-POLYMER
A heteropolymer, also called a copolymer, is a
polymer formed when two or more different
types of monomers are linked in the same
polymer chain, The assembly of the monomers in
the copolymers can be head-to-tail, head-to-head,
or tail-to-tail.

1- Homo polymer
2-Hetero polymer or alternating
3-Hetero polymer , Random
4-Hetero , block polymer
5-Hetero , branch polymer , graft

CO-POLYMERIZATION
It is the process using more than one
monomers to produce a copolymer, which will
possess properties different to the homo
polymer of either monomer. In man-made
plastics copolymerization is used to modify the
properties of the material to a specific needs, for
example to reduce crystinility modify glass
transition temperature or to improve solubility.

CO-POLYMER EQUATION
An alternating copolymer has the formula: -A-BA-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-, or -(-A-B-)n-. The molar
ratio of the monomer in the polymer is close to
one, which happens when the reactivity ratios r1
& r2 are close to zero, as given by the MayoLewis equation also called the copolymer .

Where r1 = k11/k12 = k22/k21 & r2.and r1 is ratio

of M1 &r2 is the ratio of M2
M1=molecular wt of A(monomer)
M2=molecular wt of B(monomer)

PRODUCTION OF ALGINATE
There are essentially two processes for the
preparation of alginates. They all start off with
similar extraction procedures but vary in the
methods used to precipitate the alginate at the
end of the process.

EXTRACTION
Raw or dried weed is washed with acid to
remove cross linking ions that cause the alginate to be
insoluble. The acid washed weed is then dissolved in
alkali, typically sodium hydroxide, to produce a
viscous solution of alginate and cell wall debris which
contains a lot of cellulose. The solution is filtered to
remove the cell wall debris and maybe treated to
remove color. Finally a clear, clean alginate solution is
left.

Calcium Precipitation
ACID Precipitation
Calcium Precipitation

This the most common and versatile of precipitation

methods is the calcium method. In this method calcium
salts are added to the filtered liquor to produce a fibrous
precipitate. This fiber is then left to 'harden' before being
recovered. One method of recovery involves blowing air
into the tank and skimming the floating the fibrous mat
off the surface.
The recovered mat of calcium alginate is then treated
with more acid to remove the calcium ions and leave an
insoluble alginic acid fiber. This fiber can then be mixed
with various alkali salts such as sodium carbonate to
form sodium alginate.

ACID Precipitation
Another and more direct method of precipitation is
by using acid directly. This method has the advantage
that the calcium addition and subsequent removal is
avoided making an inherently simpler process. However
it will only work with certain strong gelling types of
weeds. With weeds such as Ascophyllum the acid
precipitate formed is too soft too press and dewater and
cannot be used. So in terms of seaweed types that can
be used this process is much less flexible.

PROPERTIES

All alginate fiber are non-inflammables. The number of

possible yarn is limited only by those metals which
gives in soluble salts with Alginic acid without
discoloration.
Yarn having a breaking strength of 2.00 gm per
denier per filament have been produce .
Another property suggested is the wrapping of the
thermoplastic .The yarn such as nylon around the
centrai thread of alginate which is remove after the
thermoplastic yarn has been sat.
The soluble property of the alginate yarn present
unlimited possibility in the de vlopment of the new
fabrics and new design.

DEWATERING THE ALGINIC ACID

The chief advantage of this calcium alginate process is that
water can be squeezed from the resulting fibrous alginic acid
with relative ease. (This is in contrast to the gel type of alginic
acid which results from addition of acid to sodium alginate
solution, in the alginic acid process). A screw press, such as the
Ritz horizontal continuous S-Press, is often suitable for this
squeezing and dewatering. The alginic acid is fed into the
rotating graduated-pitch screw and it is compressed by the
screw and fixed resistor bars; a screened cone at the end, which
rotates at a different speed from the screw, completes the
compression and ensures adequate discharge of solids from the
press. The dewatered product should contain at least 25%
solids if it is to be used in the paste conversion of the next
step.

PHYSICAL FACTORS

When powders of soluble alginates are wetted

with water, the hydration of particles results in
each having a tacky surface. Unless some
precautions are taken, the particles will rapidly
stick together resulting in clumps which are very
slow to completely hydrate and dissolve. Particle
size and type affect solubility behaviour

The quantity of the soluble alginates which

will dissolve in water is limited by the physical
nature of the solutions rather than actual
solubility. As the concentration of alginate
increases the solution passes through stages of a
viscous liquid to a thick paste; at this point it
becomes very difficult to disperse further
alginate successfully.

MOLECULAR WEIGHT
The higher the molecular weight of a soluble
alginate, the greater the viscosity of its
solution. Manufacturers can control the
molecular weight (degree of polymerization,
DP) by varying the severity of the extraction
conditions and they offer products ranging
from 10-1 000 mPa.s (1% solution) with a DP
range of 100-1 000 units. Sodium alginate of
viscosity 200-400 mPa.s, "medium viscosity",
probably finds the widest application.

TEMPERATURE
Viscosity decreases as temperature increases, at a rate of
about 2.5% per degree Celsius (Figure 7). Viscosity
usually returns to a little less than the original value on
cooling. However if alginate solutions are kept above
50C for several hours, de polymerization may occur
giving a permanent loss of viscosity.
Alginate solutions can be frozen and thawed without
change of viscosity, as long as they are free of calcium
(less than 0.5%); if calcium is present the viscosity will
increase and a gel may even form and these changes will
not reverse.

USES
Textile Printing
Textile printing ,alginate are used as thickeners for the paste
containing the dye. These pastes may be applied to the
fabric by either screen or roller printing equipment.

Food

Based mainly on their thickening ,gelling ,syrup &

toppings for ice cream
It reduce moisture retention by the pastry.

Uses
Pharmaceutical
Alginic acid is insoluble in water but swells
when placed in water. This property make it
a useful disintegrating agent in tablet.

Welding
Welding rods or electrodes to act as a flux and
to control the condition in the immediate
vicinity of the weld, such as temperature or
oxygen and hydrogen availability

Bleaching
Depending on the seaweed used as raw material, it give
pale color of the final product