Textiles, Leather & Paper
Textile wet processing, leather manufacture and papermaking consume large volumes of alkalis, salts, acids and auxiliaries across preparation, dyeing, tanning, sizing and water management. Specifying the right grade matters because trace impurities such as iron and hardness show up directly as shade variation, spots or lost brightness.
What the application needs. Cotton preparation uses caustic soda with wetting agents and sequestrants to scour out waxes and pectins. Mercerisation treats cotton under tension with concentrated caustic soda, typically in the region of 20 to 30% NaOH, to improve lustre, strength and dye uptake. Hydrogen peroxide bleaching needs alkali and a stabiliser such as sodium silicate or metasilicate. In reactive dyeing, anhydrous sodium sulfate (Glauber's salt) drives dye exhaustion and soda ash fixes the dye to the fibre, while sodium thiosulfate or sodium bisulfite neutralise residual chlorine after hypochlorite bleaching. Polyvinyl alcohol is a warp-sizing agent: partially hydrolysed PVA 88 dissolves in cold water and desizes easily, whereas fully hydrolysed PVA 99 needs hot water and gives stronger, more water-resistant films. In leather, ammonium sulfate is used in deliming, oxalic acid in bleaching and iron-stain removal, and alum in traditional tawing. Paper mills use alum for rosin sizing and pH control, polyaluminium chloride for retention and pitch control, and caustic soda in pulping and bleaching.
Key specification parameters. Iron content is critical for caustic soda, sodium sulfate and alum used in bleaching and white goods, so agree a maximum in parts per million. For sodium sulfate, agree Na2SO4 purity (commonly 99% or higher), whiteness, insolubles and calcium and magnesium content. For soda ash, specify dense or light grade and chloride. PVA is specified by degree of hydrolysis, viscosity of a 4% solution and volatile content. For oxalic acid, agree assay and sulfate, and for thiosulfate and bisulfite agree assay and iron. For all process salts, check insoluble matter, which can mark fabric and block spray nozzles.
Recommended product types. A typical reactive-dyeing recipe uses anhydrous sodium sulfate, soda ash and a sequestrant such as sodium hexametaphosphate to protect the shade from hardness. Scouring and bleaching ranges run on caustic soda, a silicate stabiliser and a low-foam wetting agent. Sizing kitchens select PVA 88 where fast desizing matters and PVA 99 where film strength matters. Tanneries draw on ammonium sulfate, oxalic acid and sodium bisulfite, and paper machines on alum or PAC, depending on whether they run acid or neutral sizing.
Handling notes. Caustic soda and concentrated alkaline liquors are corrosive, so use face protection and add solids to water rather than water to solids. Oxalic acid is harmful if swallowed and damaging to the eyes, bisulfite releases sulfur dioxide with acids, and ammonium salts release ammonia with strong alkalis. Sulfate and COD loads from dyeing and tanning count towards effluent consents, so factor chemical choice into your discharge permit. Keep hygroscopic salts dry to avoid caking, and request specifications, safety data sheets and samples before switching sources.
Products for Textiles, Leather & Paper
Phosphoric Acid
Phosphoric acid (CAS 7664-38-2) is the parent compound of every phosphate salt in the catalogue. A triprotic acid supplied at 75 to 85 percent, it is used directly for metal phosphating, descaling and as a rust converter.
Trisodium Phosphate
Trisodium phosphate, TSP (CAS 7601-54-9), is the fully neutralised sodium phosphate and the most alkaline of the series, dissolving to around pH 12. It is a powerful degreaser and the traditional pre-paint surface cleaner.
Sodium Hexametaphosphate (SHMP)
Sodium hexametaphosphate, SHMP (CAS 10124-56-8), is a glassy polyphosphate that sequesters calcium and magnesium extremely strongly. It is the standard threshold scale inhibitor in cooling water and the deflocculant in ceramic slips.
Dipotassium Hydrogen Phosphate (DKP)
Dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, DKP (CAS 7758-11-4), is the alkaline potassium phosphate. In industry it supplies both potassium and phosphorus in a single soluble salt, which suits fertigation and fermentation media.
Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate (MKP)
Potassium dihydrogen phosphate, MKP (CAS 7778-77-0), is the 0-52-34 soluble fertiliser, supplying phosphorus and potassium with no nitrogen at all. That makes it the standard choice for flowering and fruiting stages.
Disodium Hydrogen Phosphate (DSP)
Disodium hydrogen phosphate, DSP (CAS 7558-79-4), is the middle sodium phosphate, alkaline at around pH 9. In industry it is a buffer, a detergent builder and a boiler water treatment that prevents hard scale.
Sodium Dihydrogen Phosphate (MSP)
Sodium dihydrogen phosphate, MSP (CAS 7558-80-7), is the acidic sodium phosphate, dissolving to around pH 4.5. It is the acid half of the phosphate buffer pair and a mild acidulant for industrial processes.
Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (TSPP)
Tetrasodium pyrophosphate, TSPP (CAS 7722-88-5), is the simplest condensed phosphate, formed by joining two phosphate units. Alkaline and strongly dispersing, it is used as a detergent builder and a drilling mud thinner.
Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP)
Monoammonium phosphate, MAP (CAS 7722-76-1), is the 11-52-0 fertiliser grade with the highest phosphorus content of the common straight phosphates. It is also the active powder in ABC dry chemical fire extinguishers.
Diammonium Phosphate (DAP)
Diammonium phosphate, DAP (CAS 7783-28-0), is the 18-46-0 fertiliser and the most traded phosphate fertiliser in the world. Unlike MAP it dissolves to an alkaline solution, which matters on high-pH soils.
Dicalcium Phosphate (DCP)
Dicalcium phosphate, DCP (CAS 7757-93-9), is a white insoluble powder supplying calcium and phosphorus in roughly the ratio bone uses them. Its largest market is animal feed, where it is the standard mineral supplement.
Tricalcium Phosphate (TCP)
Tricalcium phosphate, TCP (CAS 7758-87-4), is a very fine insoluble powder with a high specific surface area. That surface area is what makes it one of the most effective anticaking agents available for hygroscopic powders.
Manganese Sulfate
Manganese sulfate (CAS 7785-87-7) supplies manganese, an essential micronutrient required in the photosynthetic complex that splits water. Deficiency shows as interveinal chlorosis on young leaves, unlike magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium Sulfate
Magnesium sulfate, Epsom salt as the heptahydrate (CAS 10034-99-8), is the cheapest soluble magnesium source. Grade is selected by hydration state, since the heptahydrate and the monohydrate differ substantially in magnesium content.
Zinc Sulfate
Zinc sulfate (CAS 7733-02-0) supplies zinc, the micronutrient most often deficient in cereals worldwide. Zinc availability collapses on alkaline and high-phosphate soils, which is where correction is usually needed.
Ammonium Sulfate
Ammonium sulfate (CAS 7783-20-2) is a 21-0-0 fertiliser that supplies sulphur alongside nitrogen. Its acidifying reaction in soil is a genuine agronomic tool on alkaline ground and a drawback on already acid soils.
Copper Sulfate
Copper sulfate pentahydrate (CAS 7758-99-8) is the bright blue crystalline copper salt. It is an algaecide, a fungicide and the copper source in Bordeaux mixture, and it is highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous
Sodium sulfate anhydrous (CAS 7757-82-6) is a chemically inert, non-hygroscopic white powder. It is used in enormous volume as a detergent filler and, in textile dyeing, to drive dye onto the fibre rather than leave it in the bath.
Sodium Bisulfate
Sodium bisulfate (CAS 7681-38-1) is a dry acid: a solid salt that dissolves to give a strongly acidic solution near pH 1. It replaces liquid mineral acid wherever handling concentrated acid is the thing to avoid.
Alum
Alum, aluminium sulfate (CAS 10043-01-3), is the classic coagulant of municipal water treatment. Dosed into raw water it hydrolyses to aluminium hydroxide floc, which sweeps suspended solids and colour out of suspension.
Ferrous Sulfate
Ferrous sulfate (CAS 7720-78-7) is iron in the reduced divalent state, which is what makes it useful. It reduces hexavalent chromium in cement to the harmless trivalent form, preventing chromate contact dermatitis in workers.
Sodium Metabisulfite
Sodium metabisulfite (CAS 7681-57-4) is the solid, more stable and more concentrated form of the bisulfite chemistry. It is preferred where a dry material is easier to ship and store than a bulk sulfite solution.
Sodium Thiosulfate
Sodium thiosulfate (CAS 7772-98-7) is the classic photographic fixer, hypo, and a fast dechlorinating agent. It also reacts with cyanide to form far less toxic thiocyanate, which is the basis of its medical use as an antidote.
Sodium Sulfite Anhydrous
Sodium sulfite anhydrous (CAS 7757-83-7) is the neutral-to-alkaline member of the sulfite family. It scavenges oxygen without driving pH down, which is why it is the boiler feedwater choice where acidity would corrode.
Sodium Bisulfite
Sodium bisulfite (CAS 7631-90-5) is a reducing agent and oxygen scavenger, supplied as a solution or solid. Its largest single use is dechlorinating water ahead of reverse osmosis membranes, which chlorine destroys.
MPG - Mono Propylene Glycol
Mono propylene glycol, MPG (CAS 57-55-6, EINECS 200-338-0), does much the same job as MEG but without the toxicity. That single difference is why it, not MEG, is used anywhere near food, people or animals.
DPG - Dipropylene Glycol
Dipropylene glycol, DPG (CAS 25265-71-8, EINECS 246-770-3), is the standard diluent of the fragrance industry. It is almost odourless, low in toxicity and dissolves both fragrance oils and water-soluble materials.
DEG - Diethylene Glycol
Diethylene glycol, DEG (CAS 111-46-6), is a hygroscopic solvent and polyester intermediate. It is acutely nephrotoxic, and its historical substitution for glycerine and propylene glycol in medicines has caused repeated mass poisonings.
Sorbitol
Sorbitol liquid (CAS 50-70-4) is a 70 percent solution of the six-carbon polyol. Industrially it is the starting material for vitamin C manufacture and a polyol for polyurethane, as much as a humectant.
MEG - Mono Ethylene Glycol
Mono ethylene glycol, MEG (CAS 107-21-1), is consumed in far greater volume for polyester manufacture than for antifreeze. It is the diol half of PET, the polymer in every drinks bottle and polyester fibre.
Glycerine
Glycerine (CAS 56-81-5) is a trihydric alcohol recovered as the co-product of soap making and biodiesel. Industrially it is a polyol building block for alkyd and polyurethane resins as much as a humectant.
Sorbitol Powder
Sorbitol powder (CAS 50-70-4) is the crystalline form of the polyol, used where a dry, free-flowing, directly compressible solid is required rather than a syrup. Crystallising it also makes it far less hygroscopic.
PVA 88 - Polyvinyl Alcohol
PVA 88 (CAS 9002-89-5) is polyvinyl alcohol hydrolysed to about 88 percent, leaving roughly one acetate group in eight. Those residual acetates are what make it soluble in cold water, unlike the fully hydrolysed grade.
PVA 99 - Polyvinyl Alcohol
PVA 99 (CAS 9002-89-5) is polyvinyl alcohol hydrolysed to about 99 percent. The near-complete removal of acetate groups lets the chains crystallise, giving higher tensile strength and far better resistance to oil and solvent.
Oxalic Acid
Oxalic acid (CAS 144-62-7) is the strongest common organic acid and a powerful reducing agent. It removes iron stains by chelating iron into a soluble complex, which is why it bleaches wood and cleans rust marks.
Sodium Carbonate (Soda Ash)
Sodium carbonate (CAS 497-19-8), soda ash, is consumed in greater tonnage by glass manufacture than by every other use combined. It lowers the melting point of silica from about 1,700 to nearer 1,000 degrees Celsius.
Ammonium Bicarbonate
Ammonium bicarbonate (CAS 1066-33-7) decomposes completely to gas at modest temperature, leaving no solid residue at all. That makes it a chemical blowing agent for foamed rubber, plastics and ceramics.
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SLS)
Sodium dodecyl sulfate (CAS 151-21-3) is the standard laboratory anionic detergent as well as an industrial surfactant. In SDS-PAGE it denatures proteins and coats them with uniform negative charge so they separate purely by size.
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate (CAS 144-55-8) is used industrially as a dry sorbent and a mild abrasive. Injected into hot flue gas it decomposes into a highly porous soda that captures sulphur dioxide and hydrogen chloride.
Sodium Metasilicate
Sodium metasilicate is a strongly alkaline silicate that protects aluminium while cleaning it. The silicate deposits a thin film on the metal surface, which is why alkaline aluminium cleaners contain it and plain caustic cannot be used.
Sulfamic Acid
Sulfamic acid (CAS 5329-14-6) is a solid, non-volatile strong acid used for descaling. Unlike hydrochloric acid it contains no chloride, so it can be used on stainless steel without risking chloride stress corrosion cracking.
Sodium Citrate
Sodium citrate (CAS 68-04-2) is the neutral salt of citric acid, used industrially as a sequestrant and buffer where free acid would attack the substrate. It chelates without dropping pH.
Citric Acid
Citric acid (CAS 77-92-9) is used industrially as a chelating agent rather than as an acidulant. It binds calcium, iron and copper into soluble complexes, which is the basis of its use in descaling and metal passivation.
Sodium Acetate
Sodium acetate (CAS 127-09-3) is the salt behind reusable heat pads. A supersaturated solution stays liquid far below its freezing point, then crystallises on a trigger and releases the stored heat.
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium benzoate (CAS 532-32-1) is a vapour-phase and contact corrosion inhibitor for ferrous metals. In engine coolants and hydraulic fluids it passivates steel surfaces at low dose without the toxicity of chromate inhibitors.
Benzoic Acid
Benzoic acid (CAS 65-85-0) is used industrially as a chemical intermediate and corrosion inhibitor rather than as a preservative. It is the feedstock for phenol, caprolactam and benzoate plasticisers.
Potassium Benzoate
Potassium benzoate (CAS 582-25-2) delivers the same benzoate chemistry as the sodium salt without contributing sodium. It is specified where sodium would raise conductivity or interfere with the system being protected.
Potassium Carbonate
Potassium carbonate (CAS 584-08-7), potash, is the reagent behind the hot potassium carbonate process for removing carbon dioxide from industrial gas streams at high pressure and temperature.
Sodium Propionate
Sodium propionate (CAS 137-40-6) is the more soluble propionate salt, which suits liquid dosing and spray application. It is used where a calcium contribution would be unwanted or would disturb a formulation.
Ammonium Propionate
Ammonium propionate (CAS 17496-08-1) is supplied as a solution rather than a powder because it is deliquescent. It preserves high-moisture grain while contributing non-protein nitrogen that rumen microbes can use.
Calcium Acetate
Calcium acetate (CAS 62-54-4) is used industrially as a chloride-free concrete set accelerator, a phosphate binder, and the agent that gels alcohol into the solid fuel burned in chafing dish heaters.
Calcium Propionate
Calcium propionate (CAS 4075-81-4) is used industrially as a mould inhibitor in animal feed and stored grain. It also acts as a mild set retarder and corrosion inhibitor in concrete formulations.
Potassium Acetate
Potassium acetate (CAS 127-08-2) is the standard runway and aircraft de-icer. Unlike chloride de-icers it does not corrode aluminium airframes or attack the carbon brake assemblies that chlorides destroy.
Zinc Acetate
Zinc acetate (CAS 557-34-6) is a soluble zinc salt used as a crosslinker, mordant and wood preservative. Its solubility in both water and organic solvents sets it apart from the oxide and carbonate.
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Sodium dehydroacetate (CAS 4418-26-2, INCI Sodium Dehydroacetate) is a broad-spectrum cosmetic preservative that stays active at near-neutral pH, where benzoate and sorbate have largely stopped working.
MEA - Monoethanolamine
Monoethanolamine, MEA (CAS 141-43-5), is the benchmark solvent for post-combustion carbon capture. It reacts chemically with carbon dioxide at low partial pressure, where physical solvents cannot absorb enough to be useful.
DEA - Diethanolamine
Diethanolamine, DEA (CAS 111-42-2), is a secondary amine used in gas treating and as a surfactant intermediate. Its position in personal care has narrowed sharply because secondary amines can form nitrosamines.
Caustic Soda Flakes
Caustic soda flakes (CAS 1310-73-2) are sodium hydroxide in thin flake form at 99 percent minimum. The large surface area dissolves fast, but it also makes the flakes dusty and quick to absorb atmospheric moisture.
Caustic Soda Pearls
Caustic soda pearls (CAS 1310-73-2) are sodium hydroxide in small spherical beads at 99 percent minimum. The round form flows freely, generates far less dust than flakes and cakes more slowly on storage.
Polyaluminium Chloride (PAC)
Polyaluminium chloride, PAC (CAS 1327-41-9), is a pre-hydrolysed aluminium coagulant. Because the hydrolysis is done during manufacture rather than in the water, it works across a wider pH range and consumes far less alkalinity than alum.
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