Calcium sulfate is a versatile compound used in various industries, including construction, art, paper, and metalworking. It is used as an ingredient in plaster of Paris, quick-setting concrete, and pigment. It is also used as a coating agent for papers, a filler in paper production, and an additive in fertilizers. In the food and pharmaceutical industries, it is used as a calcium supplement. In metalworking, it is used as a flux to remove impurities and create aluminum.
Calcium sulfate is a compound that occurs in nature both in hydrated and in dry and crystalline form. It is odorless and is most often found in the form of a white powder, but the color can be different, for example with a yellowish tinge, due to impurities. The various industrial uses of this chemical include as an ingredient in plaster of Paris and quick-setting concrete, and as a pigment. The food and pharmaceutical industries use calcium sulfate as a calcium supplement.
When hydrated calcium sulfate is heated, some of its water molecules are lost, making it a hemihydrate. This type of calcium sulphate reacts differently from hydrated and dry forms, turning into a hard-drying paste-like substance. In this application, it can be used as a plaster of Paris for art projects and is also mixed with concrete to create quick drying concrete.
Paints need pigments to create colors. Calcium sulfate, without impurities, is a white color that is typically mixed with paints to create white paint. This type of paint is used for both exterior and interior art paint and varnishes.
The paper industry often produces paper with a coating that gives the paper extra sheen or increased durability. Calcium sulfate is used as a coating agent for papers and adds thickness and durability, making the paper harder to tear. It does not offer any extra sheen or shine to the paper. It is also used as a filler, so smaller amounts of other components are used to make the paper.
Fertilizers have additives that help raise or lower the acidity of the fertilizer, making it suitable for certain types of plants and environments. As an additive, this ingredient creates an acidic fertilizer. Some plants that do better with this type of fertilizer are azaleas and rhododendrons.
The food and pharmaceutical industries use calcium sulfate as an additive and supplement. Many pills that are used as calcium supplements or foods such as cereals that are fortified with vitamins use it as a cheaper form of calcium. This reduces the cost, making it easier to produce the product. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this is considered safe.
In metalworking, fluxes are substances used to reduce or eliminate impurities. They are needed, because most metals in nature have impurities that need to be removed or the metal cannot be made properly. As a flux, calcium sulfate is used to help remove impurities to create aluminum.
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