Sodium Bicarbonate
Chemical Formula: NaHCO3
Grades: Food, Feed, Pharma and Technical (of varying particle sizes).
Packaging: Material is available in 25 kilo and 1000 kilo nett bags.
Availability: Normally a stock item.
Material
Commonly known as bicarbonate of soda, sodium bicarbonate is a white, crystalline and odourless solid that is frequently used as powder. It can also be referred to as baking soda, bicarb, bread soda, sodium bicarb or sodium hydrogen carbonate.
Norkem operates with several key producers of sodium bicarbonate servicing customers in a wide range of industries across the globe, some of these relationships span several decades.
Uses of Sodium Bicarbonate
Baking
Most people will know of sodium bicarbonate through baking, where it is used as a raising agent. It can be activated through either acid or heat. In the former instance, the sodium bicarbonate reacts with the acid and carbon dioxide is released. As the gas builds up, the surrounding mixtures expands. Sodium bicarbonate makes up about 30% of baking powder, alongside acidic components which are activated by water, reducing the need for additional acidic ingredients into the mixture.
Activating sodium bicarbonate with heat is less efficient as only half the potential carbon dioxide is released.
Sodium bicarbonate is widely used in the food and drinks industry.
Industrial
Sodium bicarbonate is well-known for being an incredibly versatile cleaning product and is frequently used as an oxidiser in detergents. When mixed with warm water to form a paste it can be used as a mild scouring substance suitable for cleaning everything from heavily stained mugs to large scale industrial boiler descaling.
Used in this way sodium bicarbonate is particularly effective at removing any rust or paint from the surface of a metal and brickwork. When used in conjunction with compressed air, this process is called soda blasting.
Sodium bicarbonate is particularly effective when used as a flue gas treatment being a proven, reagent for the neutralisation of such gaseous emissions. Thus, ensuring emissions are successfully captured and controlled.
In the oil and gas industry sodium bicarbonate is used at the drilling rigs to treat cement contamination in water.
Leather And Tanning
Sodium bicarbonate can be used to ensure that leather remains supple and soft as well as porous to dyes. The addition of sodium bicarbonate prevents the fibres of the animal-hide from biodegrading.
Rubber And Plastic
The carbon dioxide that sodium bicarbonate produces when reacting with heat or acid can be used to shape and mould rubber into the required shapes. In this manufacturing process, it is known as a blowing agent.
Swimming Pool Treatment
If the alkalinity of a swimming pool needs raising, sodium bicarbonate is one of the go-to options. It is a cost-effective and safe option that is easy to obtain.
Animal Feed
An important feed material used as an important source of sodium and as an acid buffer, helping to balance the diets and assist the rearing needs of the following: ruminants, poultry and pigs.
Fire Extinguisher
Sodium bicarbonate can be found in BC dry chemical fire extinguishers. This distinctive blue-white powder should only be used on fires involving flammable liquids, gases, greases and electrical equipment. The heat of the fire causes the sodium bicarbonate to release carbon dioxide, starving the fire of oxygen.
Pharmaceutical
Sodium bicarbonate has multiple pharmaceutical uses, including as an excipient (pharmacologically inactive substance) in the form of an effervescent when used in conjunction with an acidic agent such as citric acid or tartaric acid which we also stock. In powder or tablet form, it makes for an effective antacid, providing relief for indigestion and heartburn.
The gentle scouring element of sodium bicarbonate means it is increasingly added to toothpaste to boost its plaque removal and teeth whitening properties. For similar reasons, it can be added to mouthwash to further cleanse the teeth and gum, as well as neutralising any excessive acid in the mouth.