An Overview of Industrial Production of Sodium Silicate

Sodium silicate is a popular compound that finds its utility in multiple sectors. As a result, many industries look for the top sodium silicate plant exporters for production purposes. However, before mass production of this compound, it is useful to know a little more about it.

About Sodium Silicate

Sodium silicates are crystalline solids that show glassy appearances. As a result of such structure and form, it is also known as water or liquid glass. In addition, these compounds can produce alkaline solutions as they are highly soluble in water.

It is stable both in alkaline and neutral solutions. But, in the case of acidic mediums, the silicate ions tend to react with the hydrogen ions to produce silicic acids. The silicic acid can decompose to form a hydrated silicon dioxide gel. As a result of such a chemical reaction, you get silica gel which is also a hard-translucent material.

Sodium Silicate Production

Generally, the sodium silicate plant will consist of different sections known as filtration, raw materials dosing, and reaction. You have to produce the compound in batch-wise operations. Dissolving silica within molten sodium carbonate can produce sodium silicate.

Using the reactor and treating the solution with the mixture of caustic soda, you can produce water and silica in the quartz sand form and hot steam. Once done, carbon generates the sodium sulfate as the former acts as the reducing agent.

Uses Of Sodium Silicate

Water glass is an essential ingredient in the glass industry due to sodium oxide and silica. The liquid form of this compound is a prevalent deflocculant in glass manufacturing, treatment plants, fire protection, wastewater detergent auxiliaries, textile processing, drilling fluids, etc.

The compound is also used in the production of cardboard. In addition, liquid glass is widely popular as the drilling fluid for stabilising the borehole walls.

You can find this compound as the crack sealer in the automotive industry.

Preservation of eggs when you lack refrigeration is also another application of sodium silicate. It is the flocculant that can clarify beer and wine due to the precipitation of the colloidal particles. Even sodium silicate gels are famous for being substrates for algae growth in aquaculture hatcheries.

Health Hazards

You can find sodium silicate even in household cleaning materials as well as pesticides. It is a compound that can cause severe damages to the body if not correctly handled with care. It has a toxic nature that is responsible for the hazardous effects on the human body.

In case of inhalation, it can irritate your upper respiratory tract. If a person is exposed to sodium silicate for prolonged periods, it can severely damage his lungs. Also, liquid glass can burn all portions of the human digestive tract.

It can cause nausea, vomiting, and even diarrhoea. If your skin comes in direct contact with the compound, it can cause redness, itching, and pain. In addition, a burning sensation within the eye is expected in case of contact. So, it is essential to maintain proper safety guidelines before your employees start producing this compound on a large-scale basis.