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Homogenising CMC thickening agents and different mineral powders into liquid

For the production of household detergents and polishers, using a Fristam Powder Mixer

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Introduction to the application and industry overview

Manufacturers producing household detergents, hard-surface cleaners, degreasers, stove and oven cleaners, and metal polishing compounds must reliably disperse rheology modifiers, cellulose thickeners, and mineral abrasives into water-based formulations to achieve stable viscosity, controlled flow behaviour, and uniform suspension of functional particles.

Poor powder hydration during detergent or cleaner manufacture can lead to fish-eyes in CMC, undissolved polymer agglomerates, sedimentation of abrasive minerals, inconsistent rheology, and extended batch cycle times, all of which negatively impact cleaning performance, product stability, and manufacturing efficiency.

This case study demonstrates how a Fristam Powder Mixer with integrated high-shear dispersion enabled rapid hydration of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and uniform dispersion of micronized mineral abrasives, significantly reducing batch time while improving formulation stability, rheology control, and production throughput in household-care manufacturing.

Customer brief

A manufacturer of household cleaners and polishing products required an efficient method for dissolving carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) in water to stabilise a specialised stove cleaner. Proper hydration of the thickener was vital creating a quality product.

They also needed to disperse clay and quartz sand into thickened water to manufacture a metal-surface polishing compound. These mineral components must be uniformly distributed to ensure consistent polishing performance and product quality.

Their current process was taking over 2 hours per 1000kg batch – they needed to reduce this in order to keep up with the demand.

Previously unsuccessful methods

The customers previous tank-based agitation method of powder addition resulted in:

  • 2 hour batches due to recirculation
  • Slow polymer wet-out and hydration of CMC
  • Formation of fish-eyes and gel agglomerates in detergent bases
  • Poor dispersion of mineral abrasives in polishing formulations
  • Sedimentation or viscosity variability between batches
Previously unsuccessful methods

Fristam’s solution

Fristam supplied a Powder Mixer system consisting of:

  • FZ 20 self-priming liquid ring pump for controlled liquid intake and powder wetting
  • FS Shear Blender with a 3532 rotor stator combination for high performance homogenisation

Trial set-up

For both products, the process was essentially the same.

1. CMC thickeners (for household cleaners) and micronized minerals such as clay and quartz (for the metal polish) were poured into the Fristam Powder Mixers hopper.

2. The FZ liquid ring pump, drew the liquid into the Fristam Powder Mixer.

3. Powders and liquids were instantly wetted at the first point of contact at the base of the hopper and were transferred towards the FS Shear Blender.

4. The FS Shear Blender dispersed the different powders and particulates using high-shear mechanical forces to force particles between the rotor and the stator – ensuring uniform dispersion and the total elimination of agglomerates.

5. The result for both products was a significantly reduced batch time – as the Fristam Powder Mixer successfully mixed the powders into liquid in just 10 minutes. Product consistency was also transformed.

Fristam’s solution

A successful outcome with Fristam FS Shear Blender

The Fristam system reduced processing time from approximately two hours to around ten minutes per 1,000 kg batch, while also improving overall product quality and uniformity by eliminating thickener lumps in the detergent formulation.

Do you have any questions so far?

Please don’t hesitate to contact our customer support. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our case studies or similar challenges, and we will provide effective solutions tailored to your needs.

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Sustainability benefits

Sustainability benefits

  • Reduced energy usage due to shorter mixing time
  • Improved utilisation of raw materials through complete dispersion
Financial benefits

Financial benefits

  • Major reduction in processing time per batch
  • Increased production efficiency
  • Improved formulation continuity reducing rework
Other benefits

Other benefits

  • Reliable production of detergents and polishing compounds
  • Consistent cleaning and polishing performance in final household products
  • Operators had more time to tend to other parts of production, as the mixing time was reduced so dramatically
Process / Product quality benefits

Process / Product quality benefits

  • Rapid dissolution of CMC thickener
  • Uniform dispersion of clay and quartz sand
  • Elimination of thickener lumps in detergents
  • Improved batch-to-batch product consistency
  • Faster process time of just 10 minutes

Similar applications

  • Powder-into-liquid hydration of cellulose-based thickeners, polymers, and stabilisers in household and industrial cleaning products
  • Dispersion of mineral abrasives and functional particles in polishing compounds, technical cleaners, and surface-treatment formulations
  • Comparable mixing requirements occur across home care, automotive care, and technical-cleaning industries where stable viscosity, uniform suspension, and rapid batch processing are critical

Frequently Asked Questions

Inline powder-into-liquid mixing with controlled high shear enables rapid wet-out, full polymer hydration, and uniform viscosity development, preventing fish-eyes, gel agglomerates, and incomplete thickener activation.

In addition to mixing & blending technology – check out Fristam’s full range of pumping technologies suitable for the chemical industry.

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