What is Hydroxyethyl Cellulose

Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is an important hydroxyalkyl cellulose. It was successfully prepared by Hubert in 1920. And it is also a water-soluble cellulose ether with a large production volume in the world. It is an important cellulose ether with the largest output and rapid development after CMC and HPMC.
At present, the companies with large HEC production volume in the world are concentrated abroad, among which Hercules, Dow and other companies in the United States have the strongest production capacity. Following by the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany and Russia. The United States, Russia and other countries mainly use HEC for oil extraction. And the HEC produced by some Japanese companies is mainly used for coatings, with an annual output of about 100,000 tons.

HEC basic attributes


The main properties of HEC are that it is soluble in both cold water and hot water. It has no gel properties, has a wide range of substitution degree, solubility and viscosity, good thermal stability (below 140°C). And it does not produce precipitation under acidic conditions.
HEC solution can form a transparent film. Because of its non-ionic characteristics of not interacting with ions and good compatibility. It can be used as a coating agent, binder, cement and gypsum additive, thickener, suspending agent, and pharmaceutical excipients, antifogging agent, oil well fracturing fluid, drilling treatment agent, fiber and paper sizing agent, dispersant, film additive, ink additive, preservative and scale inhibitor, lubricant, sealant, gelling agent, waterproofing agent, fungicides, bacterial culture media, etc. HEC is widely used in coatings, petroleum, construction, daily chemical industry, polymer polymerization and textile industries, etc. HEC is one of the fastest growing cellulose ethers in recent years.
Landcel is one of the largest HEC manufacturers in China. It has been engaged in the production and sales of HEC for many years, with rich experience and high customer repurchase rate. It can be compared with the production of well-known brand products.