This section provides an overview for potassium silicate as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 11 potassium silicate manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked potassium silicate companies as of November, 2024: 1.Kiran Global Chem Limited, 2.Brenntag North America, Inc., 3.Alfa Chemistry.
Table of Contents
Potassium Silicate is a silicate of potassium with the chemical formula K2SiO3.
It is either a white solid at room temperature or a highly viscous, fizzy liquid, similar to water glass.
It is synthesized by the reaction of potassium silicate with potassium hydroxide in a wet or dry process.
It often exists in a hydrated water state and is known to have various compositions such as K2O, SiO2, and H2O, but most of these are obtained at temperatures above 200°C and their presence has not been confirmed at room temperature.
Potassium Silicate is used for a variety of purposes, but is most often used as a fertilizer for plants. Potassium, along with calcium and magnesium, is necessary for plant growth, so these minerals are blended with compounds of silicate and sold as potassium silicate fertilizers.
Many are industrially manufactured with a SiO2 to K2O ratio (molar ratio) of 2~3, and are used as a coating material for welding rods, a hardener for paints, and a raw material for detergents, among others, with compositions to suit their applications.
Potassium Silicate is often handled in aqueous solution. It is similar to sodium silicate in characteristics, being a viscous liquid, colorless, odorless, and strongly alkaline. Contact with skin and eyes causes irritation. It mixes freely with water and is insoluble in ethanol. It is stable under normal conditions, but reacts with acids to form silica gel.
Hydrous crystals of sodium silicate are well known, such as sodium metasilicate 9-hydrochloride, sodium metasilicate 5-hydrochloride, and sodium sesquisilicate 5-hydrochloride.
In contrast, the conditions for the presence of hydrous crystals of potassium silicate are very limited.
Silicate tetrahedra are bonded via shared oxygen atoms to form a three-dimensional network of silicon and oxygen atoms. Potassium silicate cations are incorporated into the network, filling the spaces between the silicate tetrahedra and balancing the negative charge of the oxygen atoms.
In aqueous solution, they exist as chained metasilicate ions rather than orthosilicate ions. As the concentration of potassium silicate ions decreases, the silicate ions become branched and cross-linked, resulting in a network structure.
Potassium Silicate is often used as a fertilizer because it provides plants with both potassium and silicon, nutrients essential for plant growth and development. It is produced as a fertilizer by mixing it with fly ash or magnesium hydroxide and calcining it.
Potassium is one of the essential nutrients for plants and is required for a variety of physiological processes, including photosynthesis, water regulation, and protein synthesis.
Although silicon is not considered an essential nutrient for plants, it has been shown to have many beneficial effects on plant growth and health, including increased resistance to pests and diseases and tolerance to non-living stresses such as drought and heat.
Potassium Silicate fertilizers are considered environmentally safe. They have a pH of about 10, but because they are a physiologically neutral fertilizer, changes in soil pH are small. In addition, they do not run off with rainwater, etc., allowing nutrients to be retained in the soil and slowly released to plants.
When potassium silicate is used as a concrete surface modifier, even if cracks occur after construction, water causes the modifier to react with the calcium hydroxide inside the concrete to form a gel with a composition similar to cement hydrate.
It forms a waterproof and deterioration-preventive protective layer and can repair cracks on its own. The waterproofing and deterioration-preventing effect can be demonstrated over a long period of time, resulting in highly durable concrete structures and reduced life-cycle costs.
It is often used mixed with sodium silicate.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Brenntag North America, Inc., founded in 1874 with headquarters in the USA, is a subsidiary of Brenntag SE and is a distributor of chemicals and chemical products and a provider of related services to industry in the United States. The company's products include solvents, additives, catalysts, resins, dyes, and alcohols. Brenntag North America, Inc. offers services that include chemical blending solutions, chemical application development, and environmental solutions such as non-hazardous and hazardous waste disposal, transportation, and laboratory services.
Univar Solutions is a distributor and supplier of chemicals and ingredients since 1924 and are headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. The company provides a wide range of chemicals to customers and extends its value-added services to suppliers. The services include data sharing, digital marketing, lab and formulation capabilities, and more. As providers of chemicals their inventory is limitless with stocks of acids, enzymes, oxides, silicates, additives, and other ingredients and they offer packaging, product development, and custom blending besides the supplies. Overall industries like Food, Agriculture, Mining, Home and Industrial Cleaning, Pharmaceuticals, and lots more benefit from Univar Solutions.
Nippon Chemical Industrial Co. Ltd., started in 1893 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a manufacturer of inorganic and specialty chemicals. In 1950, the company started the production of phosphate fertilizer at the Koriyama factory and the production of insecticides at the Miharu factory. In 1970, it began producing phosphoric acid, and in 1971, it started making chromium compounds. Its portfolio includes chromium compounds, inorganic phosphorus compounds, electronic ceramic materials, pharmaceutical intermediates, and agrochemicals. It also offers custom manufacturing for various industries, including agricultural chemicals, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals.
Kanto Chemical Co. Inc., founded in 1944 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a reagent manufacturer with overseas affiliates in other countries, including China, France, USA, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Its product portfolio includes analytical reagents, ionic liquids, Iodine compounds, ultra-pure chemicals, and water analysis kits. The company is also developing regenerative medicine and genetics reagents and has over 50,000 products. It has several certifications, including ISO 9001, acquired in 1994, making it the first Japanese company in the reagent industry. Other certifications are ISO 14001, ISO 13485, and ISO/IEC 17025.
FujiFilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, founded in 1922 and headquartered in Osaka, Japan, is a manufacturer of laboratory chemicals, specialty chemicals, and clinical diagnostic reagents. The company has three business domains, namely laboratory chemicals, specialty chemicals, and clinical diagnostic reagents, and some of its products include biochemistry reagents, blood transfusion test drugs, battery materials, polymer-related materials, and general reagents. The products are useful in various fields, including electronic, cosmetic, polymeric, pharmaceutical, and medical care. It acquired Sibayagi Co. Ltd. in 2015 and provides custom manufacturing to meet customer requirements.
TRUNNANO (aka. Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd.), based in China, is a global chemical material supplier and manufacturer. The company specializes in nanomaterials research and production catering to multiple industries such as electronics, energy, and healthcare across the world. Their extensive product portfolio includes nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanopowders, among others, meeting extensive application needs in different sectors. They provide chemicals such as boron powder, zinc sulfide, nitride powder, 3D printing powder, and more.
Kiran Global Chem Limited, established in 1979 and headquartered in Tamilnadu, India, is a manufacturer and supplier of sodium and potassium silicate. The company's comprehensive product range comprises sodium silicate lumps, sodium silicate liquid, potassium silicate lumps, and potassium silicate liquid. The products are utilized in adhesives, agriculture, cosmetics, water treatment, and food industries. Also, its sodium silicate is used in timber treatment to protect the wood from insects and is a suitable sand binder in foundries to mold non-ferrous casting as well as steel.
Alfa Chemistry, founded in the year 2015 is based in New York, USA as a biotechnology company and manufacturer of graphene materials. Their product portfolio includes graphene oxide, CVD graphene film, graphene modification services, graphene series, graphene-like material, carbon nanomaterials, quantum dots, upcoming nanoparticles, and graphene transfer services. The company also provides services in custom manufacturing, and graphene analysis with quality assurance. The products are used in various industries which include energy, digital electronics, environment, textile, coating, and biomedical science.
Millipore Sigma, formerly known as Sigma-Aldrich, was created in 175 through the merger of Sigma Chemical Company and Aldrich Chemical company and today is a subsidiary of Merck. Millipore Sigma is a life science and biotechnology company serving the industry with several products and services. Some of their product categories include peptide synthesis materials, biochemicals, building blocks, catalysts, chemical biology, chemical synthesis, flavors & fragrances, formulation, lab chemicals, lab safety, APIs, and stable isotopes. Services include characterization, contract manufacturing, custom products, software, support, testing, and mRNA development & manufacturing.
Nacalai Tesque Inc., founded in 1846 and headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, is a manufacturer of research chemicals, fine chemicals, diagnostics, and the related instruments. Some of its products include cytokines, nucleic acid electrophoresis, cell dissociation reagents, and sialic acid-related products, and it also offers custom and bulk service for bulk reagents and cell culture media. The company has more than 50 domestic distributors and several worldwide, including Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, Europe, and Africa. It is ISO 9001 and ISO 9002 certified, while the Kyoto South brand and Tesque factory are ISO 14001 certified.
BOC Sciences is headquartered in Shirley, New York as a brand of BOCSCI Inc. The company is a developer, manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of premium chemicals, emphasizing small molecule synthesis, biosynthesis, purification, and characterization used in academia, pharmaceuticals, biotech, CDMO, material sciences, and agriculture industries, supporting research and production. The company’s products include thousands of inhibitors, nucleotides, metabolites, and isotope-labeled products. The company offers custom synthesis and manufacturing, analytical services, antibody-drug conjugate development, and strain engineering and fermentation services.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Kiran Global Chem Limited |
22.4%
|
2 | Brenntag North America, Inc. |
17.9%
|
3 | Alfa Chemistry |
12.7%
|
4 | Univar Solutions Inc. |
9.7%
|
5 | KANTO CHEMICAL CO.,INC. |
9.0%
|
6 | NIPPON CHEMICAL INDUSTRIAL CO.,LTD. |
9.0%
|
7 | FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation |
6.0%
|
8 | BOC Sciences |
3.7%
|
9 | MilliporeSigma |
3.7%
|
10 | nacalai |
3.7%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the potassium silicate page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
Japan | 4 | 44.4% |
United States of America | 2 | 22.2% |
China | 1 | 11.1% |
India | 1 | 11.1% |
United States | 1 | 11.1% |