Potassium Silicate in Agriculture and Industrial Coatings
Potassium Silicate in Agriculture and Industrial Coatings Soluble silicates are among the older industrial chemicals still in routine use, and the potassium form occupies a narrower but more interesting niche than its sodium counterpart. It costs more. It is specified anyway, in applications where the potassium ion does something sodium cannot, or, just as often, where sodium actively causes a problem. What Is Potassium Silicate? Potassium silicate is a soluble silicate supplied as a clear to slightly hazy alkaline liquid, or as a solid for dissolution. It consists of silica and potassium oxide in a defined proportion, and that proportion governs almost everything about how the material behaves. Typical properties Composition: SiO2 and K2O in a defined weight ratio Form: alkaline aqueous solution; solid grades available Appearance: clear to slightly hazy liquid Character: alkaline Film behaviour: cures to a hard, insoluble silicate on drying and carbonation Silica to alkali ratio:...