5 Potassium Sulfate Uses in Daily Life

As a living creatures we forget the fact that we cannot live without chemical reaction. What we eat, we wear, or even we throw contains some chemical compounds that without we know we ignore it. Or it simply because we do not know exactly what the beneficial of those chemical compounds can be for us. Here some explanation of Potassium Sulfate, one of those chemical compounds that maybe we encounter in our daily life but we do not recognize how useful this compounds if we know how to use it.

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What is Potassium Sulfate?

Potassium sulfate ( K2 SO4) is a compounds created by combining Potassium ( K ), Sulfur ( S ), and Oxygen ( O ). It was discovered first in the early of 14th century. In the first time scientists start called it with named arcanuni based on the materials it was made of which is acid salt and alkaline salt. Potassium sulfate takes a form of white crystal. It is hard and colorless also has a salty and bitter taste. It is non-flammable, soluble in water but not in alcohol. Potassium Sulfate contains a lot of rare minerals, such as Kainite, Schonite, Leonite, Langbeinite, Glaserite, and Polyhalite. Most of the uses of Potassium Sulfate are help fertilizing soil and repairing a damage tissues.

Potassium sulfate can not be found naturally from the earth it should be processed first. In old days, scientists created potassium sulfate from the reaction of KCL and sulfur acid, as the result it is not pure enough because it still contains chloride that can be harm for the plants. Later scientists have found a method to produce this compounds that will bring a more pure and natural potassium sulfate.

The method that now become popular and most use is done by manipulate several earth mineral to produce potassium sulfate. Because the good material for potassium is in deep of the earth mining also can be one of the choices. Producing a good and pure potassium sulfate, first it should be dissolved with water and salt to take out byproducts.

You may also read: Branches of Analytical Chemistry – Applications of Analytical Chemistry

Indeed, here are all the Potassium Sulfate uses in daily life to compound many fields:

1. Agriculture

Potassium Sulfate said to be a healthy material for earth means it will fertilize the soil. It contains nutrition that plant need in order to grow healthy, means it providing a balance nutrition that plants needed. With a sufficient amount of potassium sulfate it will help plant to grow better, have a good quality of fruit, it will also increasing the resistance toward diseases and pest.

Potassium sulfate pH number is 7 so it contains a stable pH-normal that good for the soil and plant not like chloride that make some useful microorganism die and waste. Potassium sulfate can stimulate the photosynthesis system such as help stimulating enzymes for processing the protein, regulate water through the cells and leaves, and producing sugar and starch. The residual from potassium sulfate that used in soil will go through the irrigation, send to the river which will end up in the sea water, buried deeper, deposited as salt and in the end this elements will not be wasted, it will recycling.

Potassium sulfate first and basically function is use for the advantage in agriculture. One of the most useful thing made of potassium sulfate is for compost. The substances contain in potassium sulfate help improving yields. If farmer use potassium sulfate for their product, the result can be seen as the fruit color, texture, and taste will be improving.

Now days even there are a lot of organic compost contains potassium sulfate, that will help farmer that support organic vegetables and fruits. The application of potassium sulfate ways better than the other materials because the requirement is perfectly suitable and doesn’t take any harmful effects for the plants.

You may also read: Hydrogen Uses – Nitrogen for Plants

2. Industry

Potassium Sulfate uses in daily life in industry fields. Rapid demand for potassium sulfate not only growing in agriculture sector only. In industrial sector potassium sulfate can be used to reduces muzzle flash, flare back, and blast over pressure in artillery propellant. Its can be used to reduce the after-effect and can be used as protective for barrel too. In artillery manufacture, potassium sulfate specifically used for propelling powder inside bullet cage.

This propelling powder starts invented since the development of the gun begun, and now days mostly used in semi- and fully automatic gun. In bullet cage, potassium sulfate used as one of the material to make a propelling powder in order to reduce the flash, so it will cause a smokeless effect when the bullet fired. The use of potassium sulfate and other elements can be used as booster charge too.

Potassium sulfate can be mixed with a subtances such as, alumunium flouride, aluminium fluoro-hydrate, chromium fluoride, vanadium pentoxide, and etc, it should atomized while the propelling powder burning charge to produce a good effect. But mixing those substances should be done carefully because without an appropriate amount it will effect the opposite.

The other function is potassium sulfate often used in soda blasting replacing the soda for blasting media, because of the same structure and characteristic. Soda blasting usually used to remove the paint and rust without damaging the material such as metal, glass, chrome, and thin sheet metal. Even though this soda blasting show an effective way and much kinder process but potassium sulfate can provide that benefit the same way as soda blasting but more efficient and faster without leaving any marks that supreme soda blasting for blasting media.

The potassium sulfate that produced from plant and wood ashes can be used as a materials to make soap and glass. Potassium give that hard and heat resistance in glass while the salt that contains in potassium used in soap can help repairing damage skin. But using potassium sulfate for consider more expensive so the producers prefer the other alternative even though the residual that coming from using this potassium sulfate can help for other purpose in the future.

You may also read: Sodium Hypochlorite Uses – Helium Uses

3. Food

In this modern era, people need for a good, healthy, and safe food are increasing, one for this solution is how many products use potassium sulfate as one of their ingredients this day. Potassium sulfate is labelled as safe and non-toxic compounds from the scientists and many public health organization making both of the producers and consumers relying on this compounds to keep their body healthy. One of the use of potassium is serving as a water purification.

Potassium sulfate that easily dissolved in water can take the unwanted materials such as microorganism or pollutant that can effect the taste, smell, and safety of the water. In a beverage manufacture, potassium sulfate can be added as an ingredient for soda drink.

One of the most vital elements that our body need is mineral. Potassium is one of those vital mineral that help circulating blood supply and maintaining the development and growth of the body. We may be not realized the great function that potassium can bring to us but this potassium can help maintaining the balance of acid-base in our body, balancing the amount of water, keep our body by helping build our muscle, for nerve impulse transmission, and also for the proper function of our enzymes system.

Not only that, the new research find that potassium and sulfate can be used for those who wants to have a non-protein diet. It is because they help building muscle, keep the function of heart, also balancing the electrolyte inside our bodies. Lacking amount of potassium can cause cirrhosis of the liver, diarrhea, vomiting, diabetic acidosis, body burns, and severe protein-calorie malnutrition. Its happen because most of the diet they take cause carbohydrate deficiency that lowing amount of potassium.

So, diet using potassium sulfate can be an alternative for them who want to take diet without worry about their health. But the amount of the sulfate that can enter our body should be adequate enough, if not we should ready to take the risks. Many problems, mostly related to our digestion systems, such as gastrointestinal bleeding or even kidney stone will occur because of  overbalance amount of sulfate. If you want to take this diet you can find it in spinach, carrot, potatoes, orange, grape, and blackberries.

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4. Pharmacy

Potassium sulfate mostly used in adults for preparation before colonoscopy. Potassium sulfate that mixed together with magnesium and sodium often used for cleansing bowel, in medical this admix mostly use as a laxative liquid because of its function to increase the amount of the water inside bowel and make it easier for bowel movement to clean up all the content inside their stomach.

This medicine should be mixed with water first before it can be consumed, never drink it without water because it can cause vomiting, nausea, and losing blood electrolyte. Because the side effect of this compounds can cause a lot of fluids loss and also unbalancing electrolyte inside body, patient that consume this medicine is recommended to take a lot of water to replace those fluids.

Patient who consumed those medicine also recommended to take a small amount of breakfast without any heavy food, it will bring most effective effect of the medicine. This medicine does not suitable for the elderly because they are more sensitive to its effect, specifically vomiting. Also for those in pregnancy or intent to get pregnant to avoid this medicine.

This medicine already been approved by many health organization as safety, so do not worry about the effect as long as you have your doctor’s prescription. Other function for potassium sulfate as medicine is for providing potassium in the blood and repairing muscle tissues. It will help to distribute potassium properly through out the veins. Its also can be used as therapy for hypertension cure using diuretic therapy.  If you take this medicine try to avoid alcohol or breast feeding.

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5. Animal

Like human body, the animal body also have the same need for potassium in order to keep their body system balance. In animal body potassium is the third most abundant mineral after calcium and phosphorus. Lack of potassium because of the effect of diet in young animal can make them failed to develop and will die. Potassium deficiency can be seen as the animal grow weakened, slow muscular grow, decreasing the amount of food intake, and reducing heart rate.

The adequate amount of potassium can help to maintain the balance of acid-base, keep the osmotic pressure, maintain osmotic pressure, activate enzymes, metabolize carbohydrates and protein, regulate nueromuscular activity, and regulate heartbeat, and lastly balancing the amount of water inside animal body. Sulfur used as an elements to produce amino acids methionine and  cystine that will produce protein.

Potassium sulfate can be used as one of nutrition to cure them from malnutrition. Potassium sulfate usually used as food supplement, animal that feed by potassium sulfate mostly became bigger and healthier. Potassium sulfate also can be used to help improving the reproduction system. Mostly used in beef and poultry, especially for chicken and turkey.

The perfect time to give this supplement is in the first 8 weeks, because in that time the heat stress increasing. In that moment the number mortality will decrease, gaining weight, and improve feed intake.  And for hen that laying and egg, an adequate amount of potassium can impacting the quality of the egg, the amount will increase, the egg weight, and thickness of the shell also improve.

Potassium sulfate can be found inside grasses that be used for the food supply for the animal. But because the amount potassium sulfate in nature is less cause by the easy soluble characteristic, the solution can be added the potassium sulfate for fertilize the soil.

Also read: Animal Biochemistry – Applications of Biochemistry

Scientists said that potassium sulfate is one of the most abundant materials on the earth, one of the most reactive and has more positive electrolyte compare to other materials. It is because basically you can find potassium in everywhere, including in soil itself, but the amount is less and potassium in soil sometimes not pure, there are some elements that mixed with it, such as magnesium, sodium and chloride. Indeed, there are many Potassium Sulfate uses in daily life.

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