Description
Potassium formate (HCOOK) is a white, hygroscopic, readily biodegradable, and environmentally safe salt. When compared with traditional fluoride, chloride, bromide, sulfate and nitrate salts, HCOOK offers high solubility (3.3g/mL water), high density, alkaline pH (7.0-8.5 @ 25C, 1 M in H2O), lower crystallization temperature, viscosity lower than LiBr, low latent heat of absorption, less corrosive than chloride-based salts, and negligible vapor pressure. Because of such versatile properties, HCOOK is useful as a trimerization catalyst used for isocyanurate (polyurethane) production regenerant for cation exchange water softeners eco-friendly and cost-effective electrolyte (wide potential window of -2.5 to 1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl) deicing agent (lowers the freezing point of water to -51C at a concentration of 50% brine which achieves an ice melting speed of about 30-50 sec vs. 3-10 min for rock salt). Potassium formate is also useful in molten state because of its relatively low melting point of 333F (168C) and excellent thermal stability around the melting point. In heat transfer or storage applications, HCOOK is less corrosive to the metals and materials used in heat transfer- and heat-storage equipment. Other important applications of HCOOK include: heat transfer fluid additive, shale drilling mud additive, lubricant additive, paint additive, coating additive, reducing agent, antifreeze brine, etc.