แมกนีเซียมไฮดรอกไซด์: Applications Across Diverse Industries

แมกนีเซียมไฮดรอกไซด์ (มก.(โอ้)₂) is an important inorganic compound that plays an irreplaceable role in multiple industries due to its flame-retardant, neutralizing, adsorptive, and environmental protection properties. From industrial production to environmental protection, and from medical health to material processing, its application scenarios are extensive and critical.

แมกนีเซียมไฮดรอกไซด์: Applications Across Diverse Industries

Flame-Retardant Materials Industry: Green and Environmentally Friendly Flame Retardants

Magnesium hydroxide is a typical representative of environmentally friendly inorganic flame retardants. Its flame-retardant mechanism is that it decomposes when heated (decomposition temperature is about 340°C) to release crystal water, absorbs a large amount of heat to reduce the surface temperature of the material, and at the same time, the generated magnesium oxide covers the surface of the material, isolating the transmission of oxygen and heat, thereby inhibiting combustion.

Plastics Industry: Widely used in flame-retardant modification of plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride. For example, adding magnesium hydroxide to the insulation layer of wires and cables can improve their flame-retardant grade, and no toxic gases will be generated during combustion, which meets environmental standards such as EU RoHS.
Rubber Industry: Used for flame retardancy of rubber products (such as conveyor belts, cable sheaths). It can not only improve flame-retardant performance but also enhance the mechanical properties of rubber (such as tensile strength and wear resistance).
Coatings and Textiles: Used as a flame-retardant filler in fireproof coatings to form a fireproof coating; in the flame-retardant finishing of textiles, it endows fabrics with flame-retardant properties through padding or coating processes, especially suitable for textiles in public places such as curtains and carpets.

Compared with traditional flame retardants (such as brominated and chlorinated ones), magnesium hydroxide has the advantages of non-toxicity, low smoke, and no corrosive gas generation, and is an important direction for the development of flame-retardant materials in the future.

Environmental Protection Industry: “Purifying Agent” for Pollution Control

The alkalinity (pH value is about 9-10) and adsorptivity of magnesium hydroxide make it shine in the field of environmental protection, especially in wastewater and waste gas treatment.

Wastewater Treatment:
- Neutralizing acidic wastewater: It can replace sodium hydroxide, lime, เป็นต้น, for treating acidic wastewater from electroplating, metallurgy, chemical industry and other industries. While adjusting the pH value, it avoids the problem of sudden rise in pH value or excessive sludge caused by excessive addition.
- Removal of heavy metal ions: Through adsorption and precipitation, it removes heavy metal ions such as lead, cadmium, and chromium in wastewater, forming stable hydroxide precipitates, which can be discharged or reused after reaching the standard.
Waste Gas Desulfurization and Denitrification: In the flue gas treatment of power plants, waste incineration plants, เป็นต้น, magnesium hydroxide slurry can react with sulfur dioxide to form magnesium sulfate, and with nitrogen oxides to form nitrates, realizing integrated desulfurization and denitrification, and the by-products can be recycled to reduce secondary pollution.
Soil Remediation: Used to improve acidic soil, reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals in the soil, and create a suitable environment for plant growth.

Pharmaceutical and Health Industry: Mild and Safe Medicinal Ingredients

The application of magnesium hydroxide in the pharmaceutical field is based on its antacid, laxative and other properties, and it has high safety.

Antacid: After oral administration, it can neutralize excessive gastric acid in the stomach, relieve symptoms such as stomach pain and heartburn caused by excessive gastric acid, and is commonly found in compound preparations of stomach medicines. Its effect is mild and long-lasting, and it will not cause rebound hypersecretion of gastric acid.
Laxative: It forms a hypertonic environment in the intestine, absorbs water, stimulates intestinal peristalsis, promotes defecation, and is used to treat functional constipation. Compared with stimulant laxatives, it has fewer side effects.
Health Product Additive: As a magnesium supplement, it is used to prevent and treat magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is an essential mineral for the human body, participating in various enzymatic reactions and being crucial for nerve and muscle functions.

Chemical and Material Industry: Multifunctional Basic Raw Materials

Magnesium hydroxide is an important intermediate in chemical production and a functional filler for various materials.

Chemical Synthesis: It can be used to prepare magnesium salts such as magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate. For example, calcining magnesium hydroxide at high temperature can obtain activated magnesium oxide, which is used in fields such as refractory materials and catalyst carriers.
Ceramic Materials: As an additive in ceramic production, it can reduce the firing temperature of ceramics, improve the density and mechanical properties of ceramics, and is used in the manufacture of electronic ceramics, structural ceramics, ฯลฯ.
Paper Industry: As a filler and coating agent for paper, it can improve the whiteness, opacity, and folding resistance of paper, and at the same time endow the paper with certain flame retardancy.
Toothpaste Additive: Using its mild abrasiveness and alkalinity, it is used in toothpaste as an abrasive and pH regulator to help clean teeth and maintain the balance of the oral microenvironment.

Other Fields: Niche but Critical Applications

Electronics Industry: High-purity magnesium hydroxide can be used to prepare electronic-grade magnesium oxide, which is used as a raw material for electronic ceramics in the production of insulating materials, capacitors, ฯลฯ.
Aerospace: In the thermal protection materials of spacecraft, the high-temperature decomposition resistance of magnesium hydroxide can assist in thermal control management, protecting the stability of equipment in extreme temperature environments.

In summary, magnesium hydroxide occupies an important position in flame retardancy, environmental protection, medicine, chemical industry and other industries due to its diverse properties. With the deepening of the concept of green development and technological progress, its application fields will continue to expand, providing strong support for the sustainable development of various industries.