Raw Sugar vs. Refined Sugar: Are They All That Different?

When shopping for sugar distributors such as food ingredient supplier Bell Chem, many customers are confused concerning the difference between raw and refined sugar. How do they differ? Does the body treat them differently? Bell Chem presents the following information to ensure its customers have all the knowledge possible to make an educated decision. 

Origin of Sugar

Sugar is generally derived from one of two sources, sugar cane or sugar beets, since these sources contain the highest percentage of sucrose in any form of vegetation. The processing of both types of sweetener is identical to a specific point, where raw sugar ends its process and refined sugar is subjected to additional steps to create the sugar most consumers recognize as table sugar. Raw sugar is harvested from a field and sent to a sugar mill, where the stalks are cleansed and shredded.

Raw Sugar

At this point the juice is extracted, clarified, concentrated, and crystallized. This form creates a sugar encased in a liquid – molasses. If the molasses is not desired, the product is placed in a centrifuge to bleed the molasses from the sugar crystals. The end result is raw sugar with a sucrose content of 96%-98%. 

Benefits of Raw Sugar

The less processed the sugar, the higher the mineral content (which may have a more favorable antioxidant effect than refined sugar) and color variation. Raw sugar varies in color from off-white to dark brown, depending on the amount of molasses remaining in the final product. The crystal size is larger than table sugar, generally from medium to coarse. Raw sugars may be marketed as turbinado, demerara, evaporated or dried cane juice, washed or natural cane sugar, to name a few. 

Refined Sugar

If the sugar is to be further refined, the raw sugar is transported to a cane sugar refinery where it is melted, filtered to remove all traces of molasses and any other impurities, crystallized a second time, and dried. This final product is considered white refined (table) sugar. Further processing to finer grains leads to fine granulated, extra fine granulated, superfine, ultrafine, powdered, or fondant grade. 

Coarsely Refined Sugar

Coarsely refined sugars are also available, including sparkling sugar or rock sugar. The sucrose content of refined sugar is higher than raw sugar, often as high as 99.96% pure sucrose. For brown sugar, molasses is added to refined sugar in varied amounts, depending on whether the final product is light, dark, or “pourable” brown sugar. As molasses is added, the amount of sucrose drops to an average of 96%, according to the Western Sugar Cooperative. 

Regardless of the form, all sugars derived from sugar cane or sugar beets are easily digestible and quickly utilized within the body. 

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including raw and refined sugars. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

All About Menthol Crystals

Menthol is another name for mint. Solid crystals derived from distilling and freezing mint oil are known as menthol crystals. Because these small, brittle, clear/white crystals have all the benefits of mint in a highly concentrated form, a small amount enhances health in many ways. Read below for more information on USP ingredient supplier Bell Chem’s pure menthol crystals.

Medicinal Uses

Menthol crystals are highly soluble in alcohol and oils, both solutions that form the basis of many cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. This includes toothpaste, mouthwash, decongestants, and analgesics to name a few. 

When ingested, menthol crystals’ antiemetic properties relieve nausea, tension headaches, and dizziness. Its antispasmodic tendencies reduce stress, stimulate energy levels, and aid in sleep. When added as an ingredient in lozenges, the anesthetic effect alleviates sore throats while, as an antitussive, it suppresses the tendency to cough. Menthol crystals are a main component in therapies to soothe breathing difficulties, relieve congestion, maintain immunity health, and quell fever.  

Skincare Benefits

Mint has long been recognized for its cooling effect when applied topically. This sensation is due to its ability to activate the skin’s hot/cold sensors. It soothes, cools, moisturizes, counters dryness, alleviates dark spots, and reduces inflammation. Because of its small, crystalline structure, it also acts as a mechanical exfoliant for the skin. Lip balm, soap, and lotion are often enhanced with menthol crystals.

Hair Products

Health benefits of menthol crystals also include its application in hair products to strengthen and repair hair strands, enhance growth, help deter nits and lice, maintain an adequate production of natural oil, and as an overall scalp and hair cleanser. Menthol crystals are regularly incorporated into shampoos to remove dandruff buildup. 

Other Uses

The pungent odor of menthol is a natural, organic insect repellent, which can help when you’re outdoors. Inside the home, air fresheners and room sprays often depend on menthol crystals for a clean smell. They also add a burst of flavor to foods and beverages.

Bell Chem is a USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including menthol crystals. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Differences Between Types of Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate has long been associated with calming upset stomachs, but it also acts favorably on other body systems, such as the skeletal, muscular, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem proudly inventories HuberCal® products, such as HuberCal® CCG 40XX FG and HuberCal® 250 USP for our customers. HuberCal products are renowned for their industry-leading purity; their products contain lower levels of arsenic, mercury, and lead than any other manufacturer.

Types of Calcium Carbonate

HuberCal® 250 USP is an off-white to white powder of low-moisture, high purity 12-micron calcium carbonate, mined from beds of ancient oyster shells or limestone. The “USP” specifies this product meets or exceeds US Pharmacopeia requirements. 

HuberCal® CCG 44XX FG is a granulated form of 95% calcium carbonate FCC (functionalized calcium carbonate) mined from natural limestone, then compounded with a 5% binder. For CCG 44XX FG, the binder is maltodextrin IP (identity preserved) and acacia gum. The “FG” ending denotes “food grade,” an indication that this form of calcium carbonate may be used in the food and beverage industry. FCC denotes high purity, recrystallized calcium carbonate that creates a structured mineral giving this form of calcium carbonate several unique aspects:

• 60% or greater porosity

• Median particle size distribution of 2–30µm

• Surface areas of 30-180 m2/g

• Greater number of contact points along its mineral-like surface

• Greater tensile strength/compressibility

• High biocompatibility

Calcium Carbonate as a Supplement

Calcium carbonate is a nutritional ingredient often prescribed for patients with low blood calcium levels, such as those with osteoporosis, osteomalacia, hypoparathyroidism, or latent tetany. Changes in hormone levels can cause low calcium blood levels, which is why pregnant and postmenopausal women are often prescribed calcium supplements. When blood calcium levels are significantly low, the body removes calcium from its stores in the bones throughout the body, leaving the skeletal structure depleted and significantly weakened. 

Food Grade Uses for Calcium Carbonate

Although calcium carbonate given in tablet form generally requires vitamin D for its uptake, the addition of calcium carbonate FCC as an ingredient during food manufacture is readily ingested and utilized properly within the body. Many packaged foods, including cereal, nutritional and cereal bars, baked foods and cookies, and soups regularly add beneficial calcium carbonate as an ingredient.

Bell Chem is a USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including HuberCal® products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Chemicals Used in Food Production

Foods marketed in boxes or bags almost always contain food additives in the guise of chemicals to affect food in varied forms. Additives can make food more palatable, extend shelf life, lower overall calorie or fat content, add nutrient value, emulsify, change food color or texture, or many combinations of these and other functions. Bell Chem is your food ingredient supplier for food and reagent, nutritional, and USP-grade ingredients to keep your foods and beverages healthy and delicious.

Emulsification 

Without added chemicals, many foods and liquids would be unpalatable. Emulsifiers, such as gum arabic, lecithin, salt, and sodium hexametaphosphate maintain texture and flavor with every bite. Emulsifiers also deter ice crystals from forming in frozen foods or sugar coagulation in baked foods and increase the volume of baked goods. Many emulsifiers also act as stabilizers or thickeners, such as gums, starches, and proteins.

Nutritional additive 

Many natural nutrients are lost during food production because of mechanical measures, such as heat and freezing. Adding lost nutrients or bolstering the nutrient value of foods has occurred since 1924 when salt became iodized to prevent goiters. The addition of vitamins has drastically improved the health of millions of people. For instance, vitamin B in infant cereals helps prevent anemia, vitamin D-fortified milk helps to prevent rickets, and folic acid — often added to flour — is recommended for pregnant women to prevent birth defects. Fiber, linoleic acid, and minerals are other additives commonly combined with packaged foods.

Preservation

Utilizing antioxidants and antimicrobials seems like common sense in today’s food industry. Both additives keep foods fresher and stabler for extended periods of time. Antioxidants include Vitamin E and its derivatives, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Antimicrobials include acids (acetic, propionic, sorbic), nitrates, nitrites, and sulfites. 

Taste, color, and texture 

As food is processed, some pigments may be degraded. The addition of chemicals creates color with less variation and more appeal. Taste and smell are both chemical reactions. When specific chemicals are added to foods and beverages, the sensations of both taste and smell react favorably. Currently, more than 1,200 different flavors are available for foods. Spices, sugar, salt, and citrus acid are all palatable flavors. Some foods, such as frozen desserts or jams, have a specific texture generally created with the help of chemicals. Many texturizing food ingredients, including guar and xanthan gum, pectin, and whey, are frequently used to enhance the composition of foods.

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including a vast array of food production chemicals. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Zinc Oxide in Personal Care Products

Zinc oxide (chemical formula ZnO) is easily recognized as the white, solid sunblock slathered on lifeguards’ noses in films of the 1980s. While today’s sunscreens still contain zinc oxide, it is not nearly as visible to the naked eye. Derived from the mineral zincite, zinc oxide from USP ingredient supplier Bell Chem’s extensive inventory has abundant uses in personal care products worldwide with a proven track record of centuries of use.

Cosmetics

Zinc oxide is a commonly-used gradient that determines the opacity and coverage of makeup as it adds viscosity to otherwise watery cosmetics. Widely acclaimed mineral makeup contains pure, finely ground zinc oxide as its base. With no added irritants (zinc oxide is soothing to almost every skin type) zinc oxide-based mineral makeup has surged in popularity. For this reason, nail products as well as facial cosmetics now contain zinc oxide.

Colorant 

Zinc oxide typically presents as a white powder. When added to cosmetics or personal care products, that opaque, white solid alters the color, leaving many products with a pure-white, clean base.

Personal Care Products

Anti-dandruff shampoos often contain zinc oxide to maintain moisture on the scalp, preventing the creation of the dry flakes of dandruff. Products advertised for sensitive skin often contain zinc oxide because it alleviates the use of additives for more natural, less irritating products. This soothing of the skin gives rise to zinc oxide being added as an ingredient to baby lotions, bath soaps, and foot powders.

Skin Protectant

Calamine lotion, diaper rash ointment and cream, sun- and windburn relievers, scar treatments, and many brands of antiseptic creams contain zinc oxide because this inert natural barrier holds moisture in while it staves off pathogen invasion of broken or damaged skin. The antibacterial properties of zinc oxide give it a starring role in antiseptic ointments; zinc oxide stabilizes products by barricading pathogens from spoiling skin protectants.

Sunscreen 

Zinc oxide forms a physical barrier to the sun when applied as a sunblock and is regarded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the broadest spectrum reflector of both UVA and UVB. Because it is a physical rather than a chemical barrier, it does not react with any of the body’s chemical processes. 

Bell Chem is a USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including zinc oxide. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

When 99% Isopropyl Alcohol is the Best Fit

Isopropyl alcohol (chemical formula C3H8O) has several distinct percentages — 70%, 80-85%, 91%, 99%, and 99.9% — depending on your needs. Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem’s extensive inventory contains 99% and 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. 

What is Isopropyl Alcohol?

Isopropyl alcohol is a colorless, clear chemical with a pungent odor. It is widely regarded as the universal solvent because of its ability to dissolve a vast range of nonpolar compounds. Chemically, it is considered highly flammable with a wide range of combustion. Myriad industries find uses for 99% isopropyl alcohol, from automotive to pharmaceuticals. 

Automotive

Isopropyl alcohol is the go-to product to strip wax from cars before painting or polishing. Added to lacquer, it decreases the lacquer’s viscosity. Within vehicle systems, isopropyl alcohol is miscible with water, meaning it will evenly mix with a water-based washer fluid or in a fuel tank to deter freezing in cold weather.

Coatings

The production of polymers, including acetone, bisphenol A, and glycerol, relies on isopropyl alcohol.  It acts as a diluent in paints and resins as well, and many hand tools are rinsed with isopropyl alcohol to remove gummy residue. 

Essential Oils

99% isopropyl alcohol is the medium to process essential oils, flavorings, nutraceuticals, and waxes. 

Food and Beverage 

Isopropyl alcohol has two distinct functions: it is safe to use on food surfaces and industrial machines as an industrial sanitizer, and it is used frequently in many areas of food production – dying, glazing, and food supplements. Another interesting role isopropyl alcohol 99% plays in the food and beverage industry is its part in the extraction of phospholipids and Omega-3 fatty acids from fish in the formation of triglyceride oil. 

Cosmetics 

Aftershaves, bath products, facial cosmetics, lotions, perfumes, and sanitizers include isopropyl alcohol as an anti-foaming agent, a diluent, an extractant, and/or a surfactant. Most notably in the nail-care industry, isopropyl alcohol cleans and polishes nails.

Medical and Pharmaceutical Industries

Medical equipment in hospitals and clinics is often sterilized with isopropyl alcohol. It also finds a role in wound dressing and skin treatments to prevent infection. In the manufacture of medicine, isopropyl alcohol is used to analyze, create, and purify compounds. 

Electronics

In this sector, isopropyl alcohol 99.9% cleans cables, connectors and contacts, fiber optic components, keypads, LCDs, and tape heads. Safe and non-corrosive on most surfaces, including elastomers, painted products, and plastic, anhydrous 99.9% isopropyl alcohol leaves no residue as it cleans polar, non-polar, and ionic components. 

Laboratories

Isopropyl alcohol 99.9% is considered chemical grade with the highest purity rating of contaminant-free. This level of purity is necessary for chemical laboratory reagents and for electronic use, when any amount of water is detrimental to delicate machinery. In fact, a huge percentage of isopropyl alcohol finds its way into the electronics industry.

Environmentally speaking, 99% isopropyl alcohol scored as “excellent” on the green solvent scale and is considered ozone safe. Bell Chem is your industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including isopropyl alcohol. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff give personalized attention to all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Chemicals Needed in a Brewery

The focus of chemicals in a brewery is twofold: they are necessary for stimulating the process of beer making and for cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing the brewing equipment and work spaces. Bell Chem is your industrial ingredient supplier for both these areas of maintaining a successful brewery.

The Importance of Brewing Water

Creating a distinct beer is reliant on water quality. Using municipal “tap” water is probably not in the best interest of the brewer since many chemicals and additives will inhibit the beer’s natural flavors. Before water enters the system, it is important to have it analyzed or to rely on a water source that will not change its level of purity. 

Knowing the ions, minerals, pH, chemical ratios, and water hardness of your water source will make you a better brewer. Remember, the largest component of beer is water. If you choose to rely on groundwater, spring water, or municipal water, Bell Chem will be there with the chemicals necessary to balance the water to your specifications. 

The main components of water and beer production in general are listed below, along with their effect on brewing.

• Bicarbonate: This is the basic end of the pH scale, so the pH of the mash escalates when bicarbonate is added. Depending on the type of beer (pale beer contains less bicarbonate while stout contains up to 4 times the amount), the amount of bicarbonate will fluctuate.

• Calcium: A water’s “hardness” is determined by the concentration of calcium and, to a lesser extent, magnesium. Calcium lowers the pH during mashing, stimulates yeast flocculation, plays a part in deterring beerstone, and helps precipitate proteins in the boil. 

• Chloride: Malt sweetness improves with chloride, improving a beer’s fullness. 

• Magnesium: Along with calcium, magnesium has a starring role in whether water is considered hard or soft. Magnesium adds a sour or bitter flavor in elevated quantities. 

• Sodium: A flavor enhancer. Be careful not to add too much or the flavor becomes salty, or, if combined with sulfate, the flavor becomes strong and bitter.

• Sulfate: Want a crisp, dry beer? Add sulfate. Use sparingly in dark beer, but increase in many ales. Sulfate does not combine well with chloride in higher amounts since it leads to a mineral-like flavor.

Chemicals for cleaning, disinfecting, sanitizing, and maintaining a brewery are abundant. While some systems must be disassembled for proper cleaning, other brewers prefer a clean-in-place system. Bell Chem wants you to be aware of the function of many brewery chemicals regardless of your brewing setup. 

These are some examples of the chemicals involved in brewing and what they do in the brewing process.

• Sodium hydroxide: Breaks down organic soil

• Phosphoric acid, iodine, and nitric acid: Remove beerstone and hard water scale, passivate stainless steel, and neutralize soap

• Peracetic acid: Disinfects and sanitizes equipment by cleaning heavy soils when combined with hot water, or low soil with cool water.

• Peroxyacetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, chlorine dioxide, and sodium hypochlorite: Sanitize and disinfect 

• Antifoam (silicone) cleaners: Clean blow-off buckets, kettles, and fermenters

• Phosphoric acid: A foaming acid cleaner retaining the original quality of taste when parts are soaked in it as it removes rust, hard water scale, proteins and grease, and debris. 

As you can see, the beer brewing process involves a number of food and industrial chemicals. Bell Chem is your industrial ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including brewery chemicals. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff give personalized attention to all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Benefits of Maltodextrin as a Food Additive

The term “maltodextrin'' is not familiar to many, but its role as a food additive abounds. Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, has the following information to share about this multiple-use additive and how it can enhance your food and beverage production.

Binder and Bulking Agent

Maltodextrin is a hydrocolloid, which is an important factor for bulking food. As maltodextrin expands in water, it forms a viscous, gel-like substance, which is why it is found in many processed foods.

Carbohydrate Source

At 4 kcal/g, maltodextrin, a polysaccharide derived from the starch of corn, potatoes or rice, supplies a rich amount of carbohydrates. Infants unable to process lactose benefit from formula containing maltodextrin because it provides a necessary energy source. Since it has many of the properties of glucose but chemically differs, maltodextrin does not add to osmotic load in the digestive system, which aids in digestion for infants and those with gastrointestinal disorders. 

This ability to reduce osmotic load means glycogen breakdown occurs more slowly, which is why maltodextrin is an ingredient in sports drinks where a longer stretch of energy is necessary to power through, like marathons and tennis matches.

Emulsifier

The ability to disperse a normally non-miscible product into a medium is one of maltodextrin’s prime assets, especially when micro amounts of expensive or highly-flavored ingredients are added to a large amount of product. Retaining the same flavor with every mouthful of food – no matter how minute the amount of flavor is within a product – makes maltodextrin a necessity.

Fat Replacer

Low-fat and nonfat foods often contain maltodextrin since it has the same mouthfeel as fat. It is an ingredient in dairy products, peanut butter, salad dressings, and other high-calorie foods. Since fat contains 9 kcal/g compared to 4 kcal/g of maltodextrin, foods containing maltodextrin as an ingredient can be designated low calorie.

Spray-Drying Agent

Many heat-sensitive ingredients, such as vitamin C, are encapsulated in a fine spray of maltodextrin. This stabilizes ingredients and, therefore, extends shelf life. When a liquid ingredient is spray-dried with maltodextrin, it solidifies and often forms clumps, such as in drink or pudding mixes.

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including multi-purpose maltodextrin. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff give personalized attention to all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Guar Gum in the Food Industry

From its lowly moniker derived from Sanskrit (“food for cows”), guar has been grown for thousands of years in India. For its industrial uses, guar gum is ideal for thickening and stabilizing liquids, emulsifying and binding, and its solubility in cold water and biodegradability. These properties and many others give guar gum from your industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem applications over several industries.

Baked Goods and Confections 

Guar gum improves the texture of batters, which, in turn, gives better crumb structure to the baked product. Dough volume and moisture retention increase with guar gum as it extends the shelf life of baked goods. Candy viscosity, bonding properties, and moisture retention improve with guar gum, which also acts as a glaze for many confections.

Beverages and Dairy Products

Guar gum thickens juices and other beverages, improving their mouthfeel. It also stabilizes processed cheese, improving flavor, color, and texture. In ice cream and kefir, the texture improves significantly, melting is impeded, and ice crystallization halts.  

Gluten-Free Foods

Most gluten-free batters are more free flowing than that of their counterparts. Guar gum thickens these batters, creating more palatable baked goods. 

Meats

Sausages and other processed meats must be bound, and guar gum exceeds expectations in this regard. It also absorbs water, improves the rate of flow as sausage is formed, and emulsifies the final product.

Noodles

With the addition of guar gum, noodles retain moisture as the texture and form stabilizes.

Soups, Sauces and Dressings

Guar gum stabilizes these foods as it thickens them, which improves flow during processing. 

People often ask how food additives affect health. In the case of guar gum, studies have proven its effectiveness in suppressing hunger, which can lead to weight loss. Because guar gum is a polysaccharide, it acts as an energy storage component. Also, guar gum is eight times more effective at thickening than cornstarch, so only a tiny amount is necessary for similar results. 

Guar gum contains significant amounts of protein and acts as a water-soluble fiber, which gives it properties similar to a bulk-forming laxative for aiding in digestion. As a soluble fiber, guar gum may also retard the absorption of sugar, which decreases blood sugar and cholesterol levels. 

Bell Chem is your industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including guar gum. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Uses of Sodium Silicate, Also Known as Water Glass

Ever seen those "magic solutions" that seem to grow rocks in water? That's water glass, a unique solution that solidifies into a glassy solid as water evaporates. Chemically, water glass is Na2O3Si, sodium metasilicate, or sodium silicate. This remarkable chemical is provided to you by Bell Chem, your industrial chemical supplier. Read below how water glass can benefit your industry.

For a little background, water glass is created from an aqueous solution of sodium silicate. When the water in the solution evaporates, the solute is a glassy solid. It is generally sold as a white powder, as a viscous liquid, or as a glassy solid. Depending on its form, water glass is ready for myriad uses in industries across the world.

Automotive Repair 

Head gaskets often become brittle over time, which can cause leaks where they intersect with metal surfaces. Water glass seals these leaks, allowing the gaskets to perform for longer stretches of time. 

As a Cement 

Water glass is the adhesive for paper, glass, leather, and a large range of boxes, from cereal to industrial shipping cartons. It is specifically used in situations involving high heat, such as baking or in situations where contact with an open flame is common.

Ceramics

Water glass adheres to intersecting ceramic surfaces, tightly bonding them before the entire piece is fired in a kiln. During slip preparation, water glass becomes a deflocculant, assuring an even suspension of product. The characteristic crackled pattern on many new goods is the result of a layer of water glass on the surface.

Drilling

When industrial drills meet granular formations with a high permeability, it seriously dulls the drill bit. Injecting water glass and a catalyst, such as an ester, into the soil will form a polymerized gel to stabilize the soil, and increase its strength and stiffness.

Food and Beverages 

Bathing fresh eggs with a water glass solution seals the open pores of the outer egg shell, preventing bacteria from entering. With this coating, eggs can remain fresh and unrefrigerated for months. 

Manufacturing

In any industry, the ubiquitous white silica gel packets placed into packaged goods are created with more viscous water glass; its silicon-to-water ratio is much greater to create this viscosity. Their function is to control moisture inside boxes or packing crates. This ability to adhere works strikingly well to form castings. Sand grains with the addition of water glass bind so solidly they form industrial castings ready to accept molten metal within foundries.

Powdered Laundry and Dish Detergents 

When water glass is combined with water, the solution is alkaline, which is ideal for removing oils and fats, breaking down proteins and starches, and neutralizing acids. 

Textiles 

A coating of water glass on many surfaces, including wood, gives a level of passive fire control to the object. For materials utilized outside, water glass acts as a barrier for passive insect control.

Wastewater Treatment

A small amount of water glass added to municipal water treatment plants or wastewater treatment plants acts as a flocculant, combining heavy metals so their weight causes them to sink to the bottom of the tank.

Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including the remarkable water glass. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.