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Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), chemical formula (C2H6O2) n, cas 9004-62-0, is a white or light yellow, tasteless, non-toxic fibrous or powder solid, which is prepared by etherification of alkaline cellulose and ethylene oxide (or chloroethanol), and belongs to non-ionic soluble cellulose ethers. HEC has been widely used in oil mining, coating, construction, medicine and food, textile, paper making, polymer polymerization and other fields due to its good thickening, suspension, dispersion, emulsification, adhesion, film formation, moisture protection, and provision of protective colloid. 40 mesh screening rate ≥ 99%.

Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), as an important non-ionic soluble cellulose ether compound, plays an indispensable role in many industrial fields and daily life due to its unique properties such as thickening, suspension, dispersion, emulsification, adhesion, film-forming, water retention, and providing protective colloids.
In the paint industry, it is one of the indispensable additives. It is mainly used as a thickener, dispersant, and pigment suspension aid, which can significantly improve the performance and quality of coatings.
Thickening effect: It can increase the viscosity of the coating and maintain stable rheological properties during storage and application. This thickening effect helps prevent sedimentation and delamination of the coating during storage, while improving the application performance of the coating, such as brushing, rolling, spraying, etc.
Dispersing effect: As a dispersant, it can effectively disperse pigments and other solid particles in coatings, preventing their aggregation and precipitation.
This helps to improve the color uniformity and stability of the coating, making the coating smoother and smoother.
Pigment suspension aid: Hydroxyethyl cellulose can also serve as a pigment suspension aid, helping pigments maintain a suspended state in coatings, preventing pigment settling and clumping. This helps to improve the coverage and coloring power of the coating, making the coating more vivid and full.
In addition, it also has excellent shear resistance and temperature resistance in the coating industry. It can maintain stable viscosity under high temperature and shear force, ensuring stable performance of the coating during construction. At the same time, it can coexist with various water-soluble polymers and surfactants to improve the compatibility and stability of the coating.
In the field of oil extraction, it also plays an important role. It is mainly used as a thickener and filtrate reducer for drilling fluid, completion fluid, and fracturing fluid, which can significantly improve drilling and oil recovery efficiency.
Drilling fluid thickener: It can increase the viscosity of drilling fluid and improve its sand carrying capacity. This helps prevent wellbore collapse and stuck drilling during the drilling process, ensuring the smooth progress of drilling operations.
Thickener for completion fluid: During the completion stage, it can serve as a thickener for the completion fluid, improving its suspension capacity and stability. This helps prevent issues such as sand blockage and well leakage during the completion process, ensuring the quality of the completion operation.
Fracturing fluid thickener: In fracturing operations, it can serve as a thickener for fracturing fluid, improving its sand carrying capacity and fracture making ability. This helps to increase the permeability of the reservoir and improve oil recovery efficiency.
Fluid loss reducer: It can also be used as a fluid loss reducer for drilling and completion fluids, reducing the loss of fluids in the formation. This helps to maintain stable volume and performance of drilling and completion fluids, improving drilling and oil recovery efficiency.
In addition, it also has excellent temperature and pressure resistance in the field of oil extraction. It can maintain stable performance under high temperature and high pressure conditions, ensuring the safety and efficiency of drilling and oil extraction operations.
In the construction industry, hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is one of the important building material additives. It is mainly used as a thickener, water retaining agent, and retarder for materials such as concrete, mortar, gypsum, and tile pasting, which can significantly improve the performance and quality of building materials.
Concrete additives: can increase the viscosity and water retention of concrete, prevent concrete from bleeding and segregation during construction. This helps to improve the strength and durability of concrete, extending the service life of buildings.
Mortar additive: As a thickener and water retaining agent for mortar, it can improve the bonding strength and crack resistance of mortar. This helps prevent cracking and peeling of mortar during the drying process, improving the flatness and aesthetics of the wall.
Gypsum additive: In gypsum products, it can be used as a thickener and retarder to adjust the setting time and hardness of gypsum. This helps to improve the processing performance and finished product quality of gypsum products.
Ceramic tile adhesive: It can also be used as a thickening agent and bonding agent for ceramic tile adhesive, improving its adhesion and water resistance. This helps prevent problems such as tile detachment and hollowing during the bonding process, and improves the firmness and aesthetics of tile bonding.
In addition, it also has excellent environmental performance in the construction industry. It is a non-toxic, odorless, biodegradable compound that does not pose a threat to the environment and human health.
In the textile industry, it is one of the important textile additives. It is mainly used as a sizing agent, thickener, and adhesive for yarns and fabrics, which can significantly improve the performance and quality of textiles.
Starch agent: It can be used as a sizing agent for yarns and fabrics to improve their wear resistance, dyeing ability, and fire resistance. This helps to extend the service life of textiles and increase their added value.
Thickener: In the textile printing and dyeing process, it can be used as a thickener for printing and dyeing pulp to improve the viscosity and stability of the pulp. This helps prevent problems such as color bleeding and flower spots during the printing and dyeing process, and improves the quality of printing and dyeing.
Adhesive: It can also be used as an adhesive for textiles to improve their adhesion and wash resistance. This helps prevent problems such as glue cracking and detachment of textiles during use, and improves the durability of textiles.
In addition, it also has excellent compatibility and stability in the textile industry. It can coexist with various textile auxiliaries and dyes, improving the processing performance and finished product quality of textiles.
Hydroxyethyl cellulose is one of the important additives in cosmetics and detergents in the field of daily chemical industry. It is mainly used as a thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier, which can significantly improve the performance and quality of cosmetics and detergents.
Cosmetic additives: In cosmetics, they can be used as thickeners, stabilizers, and emulsifiers to increase the viscosity and stability of cosmetics. This helps prevent layering and sedimentation of cosmetics during storage and use, and improves the effectiveness of cosmetics. At the same time, it can also be used as a film-forming agent to form a protective film on the surface of the skin, preventing moisture loss and external stimuli from damaging the skin.
Detergent additives: In detergents, they can be used as thickeners and stabilizers to increase the viscosity and stability of the detergent. This helps prevent sedimentation and layering of detergents during storage and use, and improves the washing effect of detergents. At the same time, it can also be used as an emulsifier to help detergents dissolve and remove stains better.
In addition, it also has excellent mildness and safety in the field of daily chemical industry. It is a non-toxic and non irritating compound that does not cause harm to the skin and eyes, and is suitable for use in various cosmetics and detergent formulations.
In the pharmaceutical industry, hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is one of the important pharmaceutical excipients. It is mainly used as a coating material for tablets, excipient, and thickener for liquid formulations, which can significantly improve the performance and quality of drugs.
Tablet coating material: It can be used as a coating material for tablets to improve their stability and aesthetics. It can form a smooth and transparent film on the surface of the tablet, preventing the drug from being affected by the external environment during storage and use.
Excipients: As excipients, they can regulate the hardness and brittleness of drugs, improve the processing performance and finished product quality of drugs. It can coexist with multiple drug ingredients without affecting the efficacy and safety of the drug.
Liquid formulation thickener: In liquid formulations, it can be used as a thickener to increase the viscosity and stability of the liquid formulation. This helps prevent sedimentation and stratification of liquid formulations during storage and use, and improves the effectiveness of drug use.
In addition, it also has excellent biocompatibility and degradability in the pharmaceutical industry. It is a non-toxic and harmless compound that does not pose a threat to human health and is suitable for use in the formulation of various drugs.
In addition to the main application areas mentioned above, it also plays an important role in multiple fields such as agriculture, papermaking, ink, ceramics, electronics, and food.
In the agricultural field, it can be used as a grass seed binder and seed treatment agent to improve the adhesion and water resistance between grass seeds and seeds. This helps prevent problems such as shedding and loss of grass seeds and seeds during the sowing process, and improves the sowing effect. Meanwhile, hydroxyethyl cellulose can also be used as a pesticide suspension emulsifier to improve the suspension and stability of pesticides.
In the papermaking industry, it can be used as a sizing agent, reinforcing agent, and paper modifier to improve the strength and water resistance of paper. This helps to extend the lifespan of paper and increase its added value.
In the field of ink, it can be used as a thickener and stabilizer for ink to improve its viscosity and stability. This helps prevent issues such as ink bleeding and speckles during the printing process, improving printing quality.
Ceramic field: In the ceramic industry, it can be used as a glazing agent and adhesive to improve the surface smoothness and bonding strength of ceramic products. This helps to improve the aesthetics and durability of ceramic products.
In the field of electronics, it can be used as a raw material for humidity sensitive resistors, utilizing its hygroscopicity to adjust the resistance value. This helps to achieve intelligent and automated control of electronic devices.
In the food industry, hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) can be used as a stabilizer and thickener to increase the viscosity and stability of food. This helps prevent sedimentation and layering of food during storage and use, improving the taste and quality of the food.

1. Alkali cellulose is a natural polymer.
Each fiber base ring contains three hydroxyl groups. The most active hydroxyl group reacts to produce hydroxyethyl cellulose. Soak the raw cotton linter or refined pulp in 30% liquid alkali, and take it out for pressing after half an hour. Crush until the proportion of alkaline water reaches 1:2.8. The crushed alkali cellulose is put into the reactor, sealed, vacuumized, filled with nitrogen, and repeatedly vacuumized and filled with nitrogen to completely replace the air in the reactor. Press in the precooled ethylene oxide liquid, fill the jacket of the reactor with cooling water, control the temperature at about 25 ℃ and react for 2h to obtain crude hydroxyethyl cellulose. The crude product is washed with alcohol, neutralized with acetic acid to pH4-6, and then cross-linked with glyoxal for aging. Then wash with water, centrifuge, dry and grind to obtain hydroxyethyl cellulose. Raw material consumption (kg/t): cotton linter or low meal pulp: 730-780, liquid alkali (30%): 2400, ethylene oxide: 900, alcohol (95%): 4500, acetic acid: 240, glyoxal (40%): 100-300.
2. Gas phase method:
The gas phase method is to add additives or diluents in the reaction process, and the alkali fiber reacts with EO in the gas phase. The cotton fiber is dipped and activated in 18.5% NaOH solution, then pressed and crushed, and then placed in the reactor. Pump the reactor into vacuum, fill nitrogen twice, add EO, and react for 3~3.5h at the vacuum degree of 90.64kPa and 27~32 ℃.
3. Liquid phase method:
The liquid phase method is to conduct etherification reaction in the presence of diluent. After alkalization and pressing, cotton linter reacts with EO at 20~60 ℃ for 1~3h in the presence of diluent to obtain crude hydroxyethyl cellulose. Common diluents are acetone, isopropanol, tert butyl alcohol or their mixtures. The product remains insoluble in the diluent.
The two production processes of gas phase method and liquid phase method need to prepare alkali cellulose in advance, that is, the cellulose is immersed in 18% NaOH solution at about 20 ℃ for degreasing. After etherification reaction, it is neutralized, washed, dried and crushed to obtain the final product.

The viscosity changes slightly when the PH value is within the range of 2-12, but the viscosity decreases when the PH value exceeds this range. It has the properties of thickening, suspension, adhesion, emulsification, dispersion, moisture retention and colloid protection. The solution with different viscosity range can be prepared. It is unstable under normal temperature and pressure, and can avoid humidity, heat and high temperature. It has extremely good salt solubility for dielectrics. Its aqueous solution is allowed to contain high concentration of salts and remain stable.
Product performance:
1. HEC is soluble in hot or cold water, and does not precipitate at high temperature or boiling, so it has a wide range of solubility and viscosity characteristics, and non thermal gel;
2. The non-ionic type can coexist with other water-soluble polymers, surfactants and salts in a wide range, and is an excellent colloid thickener containing high concentration dielectric solution;
3. The water holding capacity is twice as high as that of methyl cellulose, and it has good flow regulation;
4. Compared with the commonly recognized methyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, HEC has the worst dispersion ability, but the strongest colloidal protection ability.
Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is a commonly used cellulose ether organic aqueous ink thickener, belongs to the water-soluble nonionic compounds, has good thickening ability to water, can be degraded by oxygen, acid and enzyme, and can be crosslinked by Cu2+ under alkaline conditions. Stable to heat, no gelation when heated, no precipitation in acidic conditions, good film-forming properties, its aqueous solution can be made into a transparent film, which can be made from alkaline cellulose and ethylene oxide, has the properties of thickening, emulsification, adhesion, suspension, film-forming, moisture retention and protection of colloids.
The role of thickeners in water-based ink is thickening. Add a thickener to increase the viscosity of the ink, can improve the physical and chemical stability of the ink; due to the increase in viscosity, the printing can control the rheology of the ink; so that the ink pigments and fillers are not easy to precipitate, increase the storage stability of water-based ink. The thickener is a cellulose-like substance and/or a polyvinyl alcohol-like substance.
Cellulose-based substances can be methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose in one or more; polyvinyl alcohol-based substances can be polyethylene 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1600, 2000, 4000, 6000 in one or more.
Everything You Need to Know
Is hydroxyethyl cellulose safe for skin?
Despite its unfriendly name, hydroxyethylcellulose is considered safe for use on all skin types. It is mainly used as a thickener, gelling agent, and stabilizer to help improve the texture and stability of cosmetics.
What is hydroxyethyl cellulose used for?
Hydroxyethyl cellulose is a polysaccharide derivative with gel thickening, emulsifying, bubble-forming, water-retaining and stabilizing properties. It is used as a key ingredient in many household cleaning products, lubricants and cosmetics due to its non-ionic and water-soluble nature.
Is hydroxyethyl cellulose harmful?
Ingesting hydroxyethylcellulose, particularly in large amounts, can cause gastrointestinal distress. While it is used as a thickener in some food products, excessive consumption can lead to symptoms like bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort.
What is another name for hydroxyethylcellulose?
In the pharmaceutical industry, hydroxyethylcellulose is commonly included in formulations under various trade names, such as Natrosol, Cellosize, and Culminal.
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