Aluminium Sulphate Powder

Aluminium Sulphate Powder Description

Soluble in water, Aluminium Sulphate is mainly used as a coagulating agent in the purification of drinking water and waste water treatment plants, and it is also used in paper manufacturing. It is sometimes called alum or papermaker's alum. It is an excellent product with a wide range of uses.

It is also used as a mordant in dyeing and printing textiles, in the reduction of pH of garden soil, as a waterproofing agent in concrete and as a molluscicide.

Household Uses

Some of the most common uses of aluminium sulphate are found within the home. The compound is often found in baking soda, although there's some controversy over whether it's appropriate to add aluminium to the diet. Some antiperspirants contain aluminium sulphate because of its antibacterial properties, although as of 2005 the FDA does not recognize it as a wetness reducer. Finally, the compound is the astringent ingredient in styptic pencils, which are designed to stop small cuts from bleeding.

Gardening

Other interesting uses of aluminium sulphate around the home environment are in gardening. Because aluminium sulphate is extremely acidic, it's sometimes added to very alkaline soils to balance the pH for plants. When the aluminium sulphate comes into contact with >water< it forms aluminium hydroxide and a very diluted sulphuric acid solution, which alters the soil acidity. Gardeners who plant hydrangeas apply this product to change the flower colour (blue or pink) of the hydrangeas since this plant is very sensitive to soil pH.