Carhue is the largest thermal center of the province of Buenos Aires, located 520 kilometers from the state capital. The thermal baths and the treatments with the lake’s peloids have become an emblem of the city. Since 1920 visitors from around the world have come to this place to enjoy the benefits of the mineral waters from Epecuen Lake. Objective: The objective of this work is the physicochemical study of the Carhue peloid. Material and Method: A commercial peloid sample, The percentage of the solid components, water and ashes was determined by gravimetric techniques drying the sample in oven and mufla. The specific heat, thermal conductivity coefficient and calorific retentivity were calculated from these data.   The particle size was determined by laser diffraction, using the model 3000 of Malvern Instruments Mastersizer.   The instrumental texture was determined with the Brookfield LFRA, Texture Analyzer, model 1000 LFRA LRFA. The Rambaud method was the technic used to obtain the cooling curve, with thermostatic baths, Lauda, RA 8 Alpha and E-100 and thermocouple Cole-Parmer, model 91100-50. Results: (Table 1) Conclusions: Its water percentage (47.4%) allow us classify this product as a true peloid.   From the relation ash / solid (0.90) it follows that is a peloid rich in inorganic products.   The particle size indicates that there are particles ranging 0.6 to 120 microns, with Dv(50) of 10.5 microns but with scarce uniformity.   Specific heat and retentivity values are agree with the obtained percentage values of water and ashes.   The value tr (8.7 minutes) shows a peloid with slow release of heat, matching up with the data of their retentivity 7.74 106 s/m2.   According to its texture is a soft peloid (64.7 g) with good cohesion capacity (0.96) so it is an easy product to use.

Introduction: The maturation process of peloids has been the subject of many studies over time. Knowledge of the processes occurring during this time period, it is very interesting to know the applications of the final product. Material and Method: For preparation of extemporaneous peloids it has been used clay Bentonite Volcangel (Benesa) supplied by Süd Chemie, a mineral water hyperthermal (42°C), sulphurated, weak mineralization (261 mg/l) from Baños Montemayor (M) and water purified obtained by distillation and ion exchange (A).   Peloids were prepared by mixing in the ratio needed aiming to produce a product with 70% water and clay, in polymeric material containers. Water and clay were mixed slowly until total homogenization. The product was introduced into glass containers tightly closed and kept at a constant temperature of 42°C and 8°C.   The percentage of the solid components, water and ashes was determined by gravimetric techniques, drying the sample in oven and muffle furnace (850°C). The specific heat and calorific retentivity were calculated from these data.   　Every six weeks, the analysis of all parameters are repeated in samples maintained at 42°C and 8°C to study possible variations. Results: In Table 1 are shown values of the parameters of the initial peloids prepared with purified water and mineromedicinal water. Conclusion: There were no significant differences observed in the values of the analyzed parameters between the two initial peloids prepared with purified water and with medicinal mineral water of Montemayor spa and a slight diminution in the water percentage, and a small increase of the relaxation time six weeks later.

  There is little doubt that the main therapeutic action of the peloid’s, therapy depends on their thermal properties. For this reason is quite of interest getting to know the thermal properties of the materials that form peloids. Objective: Study the thermal properties of three inorganic solids that can be used in the preparation of therapeutic peloids. Materials and Method: The products used are aluminic Bentonite, Kerolita (Süd Chemie) and SPLF ELITE (Tolsa).   From the thermal point of view the specific heat was determined using a Scanning Calorimetry equipment, model DSC1, cooled by air of Mettler Toledo and it was used the software STARe for the collection and processing of data.   An extemporaneous product was prepared with a liquid phase of 60%, using distilled deionized water. Its cooling curves their relaxation and inertia times were studied.   For the determination of the cooling curves we have followed the Rambaud technique, obtaining graphs and equations that best fit the experimental curve, using the ORIGIN program 8. We used Thermostatic baths, models Lauda RA Alpha 8 and E-100 and a thermocouple Cole-Parmer, model 91100-50. Results and Discussion: The following Table 1 shows the results of the specific heat measures of the three studied products, in the range of 45-36°C and its corresponding average value. We also include the inertia and relaxation time of peloids. Conclusions: The SPLF, a sepiolite, presents the highest value of the specific heat, whose corresponding peloid with an equal percentage of water would provide the greatest amount of heat. The specific heat of the bentonite and kerolita is very similar.   Bentonite Al shows the most relaxation time of the three products, releasing therefore the heat more slowly.