What is sodium hydroxide industrial uses? Learn about sodium hydroxide

What is sodium hydroxide industrial uses? Sodium hydroxide is a chemical compound with formula NaOH and it is a white, odorless solid that can become an irritant when swallowed or inhaled and can cause damage to the eyes. It has many industrial uses, one of which it for removing grease from metal. Sodium hydroxide has many different uses in many different industries because of its ability to change pH levels or remove contaminants from surfaces. One such use for this chemical is to remove grease from metals so they can be reused without contamination.

Sodium hydroxide industrial uses

Below are just some of the industrial uses for sodium hydroxide.

1. CHEMICAL CLEANSING

In chemistry, sodium hydroxide is used for industrial purposes such as cleaning various types of metals, glass, and so on. This chemical is effective at removing grease from metal surfaces to make them usable again after the contamination has been removed. In using this chemical in your industrial cleaning, plastic also becomes clean by reducing any greasy residues that have remained on it. It can also be used to remove silicone residue from some plastic parts of machines without damaging the plastic itself.

2. DE-SODIUM METALIZATION

In the metal industry, sodium hydroxide is used to remove the coating on parts of steel. The coating is mainly made up of silicon and aluminum oxide. This chemical is used for this purpose to preserve the original materials that steel has been exposed to so that they can be reused. It acts as a dehydrating agent without affecting the integrity of the original parts of steel.

3. DE-CONDITIONING METALS

In another use, sodium hydroxide removes grease and residue from metals so they can be reused again such as in food processing plants or in pharmaceutical factories such as those that manufacture vitamins. The grease is removed so that foods can be prepared without the risk of contamination. It is also used to remove grease on empty aluminum cans so they can be made into other products like plastic containers.

4. REMOVING COATINGS FROM GLASS

The sodium hydroxide industrial uses in the glass industry are mainly for removing the coating on glass bottles and sometime the labels that are on them as well. This chemical will remove almost everything from the glass bottle except for the actual glass itself so that it can be reused in a variety of different products such as food or pharmaceutical manufacturing.

5. SEWAGE TREATMENT AND DRAIN CLEANSING

Sodium hydroxide is also used in the treatment of sewage as well as drain cleaning. This chemical will remove oil, grease, and silt from the sewage treatment process so that the sludge that is produced can be disposed of more easily. It can also remove grease from drains so that they can be easily cleared out for use again without having to replace the pipes completely.

6. WOOD TURNING

Sodium hydroxide is used on some lathes in the wood turning industry to remove sap and contaminants from wooden rods, logs, and so on. It is used in this industry for a number of different reasons, but one of them is that the chemical will remove dirt from the sides of the wood to make it easier to turn. This chemical works well in removing contamination from metal parts without damaging them or harming people working with it.

7. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND LAB WORK

In lab work, sodium hydroxide can be used in analyzing chemicals by using neutralization tests to determine where compounds fall on the PH scale and whether they are acids or bases. Sodium hydroxide can also be used in the lab to prepare buffers which are solutions of alkaline and acidic substances that are used for neutralizing acids so that they can be measured accurately and easily.

8. TESTING OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT

Sodium hydroxide is also used for testing of electrical currents because it will remove conductors such as copper and aluminum from electrical equipment and make it possible for these parts to be reused if they have been contaminated. This chemical has different uses in laboratory work as well as in industry, but one of its main industrial uses is in the electrical industry so that components like wiring can be reused if they have been contaminated by oil or grease.

Conclusion

The sodium hydroxide industrial uses are numerous and two of them were talked about in the main article. Sodium hydroxide can be used in many different industries and causes no major safety issues as long as it is handled correctly, but other than that it is a very simple chemical that anyone can use safely.