| abstract |
Scale-inhibiting polymers, compositions comprising the scale-inhibiting polymers and methods for preventing scale formation in circulating fluid are provided. The scale- inhibiting polymers comprise two or more recurring units wherein at least one recurring unit is a sulfonate-containing monomer and at least one recurring unit is selected from the group consisting of maleic acid, itaconic acid, acrylamide, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate, maleic anhydride, t-butyl acrylamide, hydroxy propyl acrylate, hydroxy ethyl methacrylate, hydroxy propyl methacrylate, and vinyl phosphonic acid. The polymers, compositions and methods may be used in mining processes including metal extraction from mineral ores. |