What is calcium sulfate used for?

We all learned chemistry in school, so I believe we are not unfamiliar with calcium sulfate. However, at that time, our understanding of it was only about its appearance, which was a white crystalline powder. As you come into contact with more and more things in society, you will find that calcium sulfate is actually widely used. It can not only be used in industrial production of fertilizers, but also in food production, such as yeast and canned food.

The uses of calcium sulfate are:

Raw material for manufacturing cement, calcium sulfate hemihydrate and sulfuric acid. Used as filler in paint and paper industry. Used as fertilizer in agriculture, it can reduce soil alkalinity and improve soil performance.

Edible grade can be used as a nutritional supplement (calcium fortification), coagulant, yeast food, dough regulator, chelating agent, and also as a tissue strengthener in canned tomatoes and potatoes, a hardener for brewing water, and a flavor enhancer for wine.

In addition to being used in large quantities as a building material and cement raw material, gypsum is widely used in rubber, plastics, fertilizers, pesticides, paints, textiles, food, medicine, papermaking, daily chemicals, arts and crafts, culture and education, and other sectors. In areas lacking sulfur resources, it can be used to make sulfuric acid and ammonium sulfate. Colorless and transparent gypsum can be used as optical material.

Used as filler for epoxy resin, it can be used to prepare epoxy resin adhesive with high strength, high temperature resistance and good wear resistance. It can also replace asbestos to produce asbestos-free friction materials.

Calcium sulfate

White monoclinic crystals or crystalline powder. Odorless. It is hygroscopic. 128℃ loses 1 molecule of crystal water.

All water is lost at 163℃. It is soluble in acid, sodium thiosulfate and ammonium salt solutions, soluble in 400 parts of water, less soluble in hot water, very slowly soluble in glycerol, insoluble in ethanol and most organic solvents. Relative density: 2.32. Irritating. It usually contains 2 waters of crystallization and exists in nature in the form of gypsum ore.

Properties and stability

Avoid light, open flame, high temperature. It is sparingly soluble in water, but soluble in acids, ammonium salts, sodium thiosulfate and glycerol. Slightly soluble in water. Soluble in hydrochloric acid. Gypsum deposits are mainly caused by evaporation and deposition, and are the product of chemical deposition, which has certain requirements on lime specifications and quality.