FORMIC ACID

PRODUCT NAME	:	FORMICACID
CAS number	:	64-18-6
UN number	:	1779
Formula	:	HCOOH
Odour	:	PENETRATING
Solubility in water	:	COMPLETE
Density	:	1.22     at 20 oC
Boiling point	:	101oC
Melting point	:	8 oC
Viscosity	:	1.80 cp at 20oC
Flashpoint	:	42oC
Explosive limits	:	10 – 45.5 Vol%
Vapour pressure	:	42 mbar at 20oC
Skin absorption/irritation	:	YES
TLV       Country  NL             Year  1995	:	5 ppm                    9          mg/m3
Pollution category    1994	:	D

Formic acid is as a preservative and antibacterial agent.  

Formic acid arrests certain decay processes and causes the feed to retain its nutritive value longer, and so it is widely used to preserve winter feed for cattle. In the poultry industry, it is sometimes added to feed to kill E. coli bacteria. 

 

Use as preservative for silage and (other) animal feed.

 

Formic acid is also significantly used in the production of leather, including tanning, and in dyeing and finishing textiles because of its acidic nature. 

Use as a coagulant in the production of rubber.

Formic acid is also used in place of mineral acids for various cleaning products such as limescale remover and toilet bowl cleaner. 

Formic acid also enables rapid and long-lasting deicing agent for runways and roads ::: 

Formates, the salts of formic acid, rapidly remove thin layers of ice and effectively prevent new snow from sticking or a new layer of ice from forming. Also, the waste water polluting effect is much less than that of other deicing agents because of their good biodegradability and low oxygen demand during the breakdown process. Depending on the concentration of the deicing agent, the freezing point is reduced to as much as minus 50 degrees Celsius.

In the past, urea was the preferred deicing agent for airport runways. Because urea has a high impact on the environment, potassium acetate and potassium formate soon replaced urea. In fact, potassium formate is gradually replacing potassium acetate because it is even more efficient and eco-friendly.