Guar gum is extracted from the guar plant’s endosperm. The gum is extracted from legume plant and contains high rate of molecular carbohydrate. The total production of guar gum in the world is 700000 tonnes and this mainly comes from countries like India, Pakistan, USA, China and Africa, India being the leader among all the major producers of this valuable industrial product. India is the largest guar gum manufacturer in the world accounting for majority of the product export.
How is Guar Gum Powder extracted from the Actual Guar?
To produce guar gum powder, guar seeds have to pass through so many different processes. They are initially subjected to husk removal process by roasting. Once this is accomplished, the left over is the guar splits which are then put into a process known as screening. Screening is a process of filtration where unwanted particles and dust is removed. These splits are mixed with some amount of water in a mixer to hydrate them and then dried. These are grinded in order to produce fine powder which is then sieved to obtain quality gum powder. The left over by-product after sieving is used as cattle feed.
Guar gum is a valuable product with several invaluable applications in various sectors including pharmaceuticals, pet food, oil field, cosmetics, water treatment, textile, mining and fracturing etc. Let us now have a brief look on how actually the industries make use of this valuable product.
Guar Gum Applications in Pharmaceutical Industry:
Chemically known as hydro colloidal polysaccharide, guar gum has got many applications in the pharmaceutical market. It is composed of sugar galactose and mannose and is effective in controlling blood sugar or the common diabetes. It is helpful for colon cleansing, inflammation, weight loss and can also aid in proper functioning of intestine.
Guar Gum usage in Pet Food:
Guar gum is one of the most essential elements in pet food preparations. This naturally derived polysaccharide contains high soluble fibre which can help improve amino acid digestibility in animals and hence is found in all kinds of pet food in today’s market.
Guar Gum Application in Oil Field:
Guar gum is a very important substance used in the oil field for well drilling and fracturing needs. Guar gum is used as a thickening, stabilizing and suspending agent which improves the efficiency and the productive of drilling. It helps to balance the viscosity levels of the drilling mud and is an important product for oil field.
Use of Guar Gum in Cosmetics:
Excellent thickening and conditioning properties make guar gum an essential product for use in cosmetics. It is water soluble and effectively used as suspending agent in cosmetics including conditioning shampoos, cream conditions, lotions and other products. Guar gum is not affected by bacteria and hence good for use in cosmetics production.
Guar Gum for Textile:
Guar gum is usedl in the textile industry for its excellent film forming and thickening properties. Use of guar gum in textile production will give better efficiency in the process while reducing the wrap breakage and dusting. It is a useful product for sizing of textiles and can give reliability and soft feel to the fabric.
Guar Gum Usage in Mining:
Guar gum is very useful in mining as it is used as flocculant to produce liquid solid separation. It is also used in flotation and can effectively act as a depressant for talc or insoluble gang mined along with valuable minerals.
Guar Gum Use in Fracturing:
The main purpose of guar gum additives is in fracturing. These are used to enhance the creation of fracture with minimal damage. Addition of guar gum can aid in maintaining high viscosities required for efficient oil well fracturing process. It can also help improve the ability of the fracturing liquid to transport the proppant while making the fracturing fluids more efficient thereby reducing the wastage during the process.
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Guar Gum uses in Water Treatment:
Guar gum is a coagulant agent that increases floc size in water treatment. This will improve filtration efficiency and hence can produce clear water without any preliminary treatment required. This is accepted by most public water utilities everywhere.
This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.