Zinc oxide is used as a catalyst in various industries, including rubber manufacturing, construction, and pharmaceuticals. It is also used in the production of ethanol from biomass and in the chemical production of ketones. Zinc oxide is nontoxic and can act on organic and inorganic materials. It is sold in various formulas for different applications.
The use of a zinc oxide catalyst involves taking zinc oxide, ZnO, usually in powdered metallic form, and using it as an accelerator in a wide variety of chemical processes. Chief among these are the rubber manufacturing industry, concrete-laying in construction, and for a variety of medical and pharmaceutical applications. A zinc oxide catalyst is also an important precursor compound in the production of ethanol from biomass materials for fuel. Other important uses of zinc oxide include the chemical production of ketones -acetamid which are versatile compounds for the production of synthetic biological drugs.
Inorganic compounds such as zinc oxide can often play a wide range of roles in industry, from cleaning hydrogen sulfide exhaust gases from smokestacks to use in adhesives and paint pigments. Since the material is also nontoxic to humans, it is included in foods as a nutrient. The compound can act on organic materials such as fatty acids and play a role as a zinc oxide catalyst in inorganic chemical processes as well. The most common use as of 2011 for a zinc oxide catalyst is in the process of vulcanizing rubber by sulfur removal and heat treatment to give it a durable and elastic nature. In construction, zinc oxide is used to give concrete a greater ability to resist damage over time from exposure to water.
In the production of -acetamido ketones or Β-amido ketones and esters, a zinc oxide based catalyst can reduce the steps involved in the process. The presence of zinc oxide also helps in generating chemicals like acetyl chloride and acetonitrile which are required for manufacturing medicines. Such reactions have the added advantages that they can be conducted at room temperature in moderately toxic environments and can produce high yields of the desired ketones and esters.
Together with the zirconium oxide, a zinc oxide catalyst mixed with water will convert the ethanol into isobutene fuel. This is an important chemical process because it can be performed on waste plant materials such as corn stalks and ordinary agricultural weeds and produces only minimal byproducts in the process such as chemicals such as acetone or ethylene. Another added benefit of the process is that the zinc oxide catalyst can be obtained from zincite, a naturally occurring mineral, instead of the usual ethanol refining catalysts, which since 2011 come from petroleum.
Industrial manufacturers of zinc oxide catalytic compounds often sell it in one of six or more different formulas depending on what it will be used for. Many types are used for sulfur removal in the plastics industry or to produce compounds of hydrogen, ammonia and alcohol. Other concentrations of the compound can be used to make zinc oxide lotion such as sunscreen and zinc oxide ointments which are used to treat various minor skin conditions.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
