The undesired precipitation of minerals from solution poses challenges in various industrial and domestic applications, including water treatment, desalination, dishwashers and boilers. To mitigate this, threshold inhibitors - small quantities of water-soluble additives—are commonly employed to inhibit the precipitation of inorganic phases. However, concerns about the persistence of traditional additives like phosph(on)ates) in natural environments and stricter regulations warrant the development of more sustainable alternatives. We present a high-throughput approach using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer and automated data analysis to assess the scale inhibiting potential of numerous candidates and their combinations. The robustness and versatility of this method were validated by measuring the kinetics of alkaline-earth metal carbonates precipitating from simulated hard waters and seawaters across an extended range of experimental parameters. This approach allows for straightforward evaluation and quantification of each antiscaling additive’s effectiveness and operational range, enabling direct comparison of different additives and blends of additives. Moreover, it facilitates the study of scaling processes in both bulk solutions and at liquid/solid interfaces. By providing a rapid and reliable means of screening potential additives and formulations, our versatile toolbox will expedite the identification of effective scale inhibitors, thereby contributing to the advancement of sustainable practices in various industries reliant on water treatment and mineral precipitation control.

溶液中矿物质的意外沉淀给各种工业和家庭应用带来了挑战，包括水处理、海水淡化、洗碗机和锅炉。为了缓解这种情况，通常使用阈值抑制剂（少量水溶性添加剂）来抑制无机相的沉淀。然而，对传统添加剂（如磷酸盐）在自然环境中持久存在的担忧和更严格的法规需要开发更可持续的替代品。我们提出了一种高通量方法，使用紫外-可见分光光度计和自动数据分析来评估众多候选物及其组合的阻垢潜力。通过测量模拟硬水和海水在广泛的实验参数范围内沉淀的碱土金属碳酸盐的动力学，验证了该方法的稳健性和多功能性。这种方法可以直接评估和量化每种防垢添加剂的有效性和操作范围，从而可以直接比较不同的添加剂和添加剂混合物。此外，它有助于研究本体溶液和液/固界面的结垢过程。通过提供快速可靠的方法来筛选潜在的添加剂和配方，我们的多功能工具箱将加快有效阻垢剂的识别速度，从而有助于推动依赖水处理和矿物质沉淀控制的各个行业的可持续实践。