Potassium alum, potash alum supplier in visakhapatnam in india

 Vizag chemical Potassium alum, potash alum, or potassium aluminium sulfate is a chemical compound: the double sulfate of potassium and aluminium, with chemical formula KAl(SO4)2. It is commonly encountered as the dodecahydrate, KAl(SO4)2·12H2O. It crystallizes in cubic structure with space group P a -3 and lattice parameter of 12.18. The compound is the most important member of the generic class of compounds called alums, and is often called simply alum.

Potassium alum is commonly used in water purification, leather tanning, dyeing, fireproof textiles, and baking powder. It also has cosmetic uses as a deodorant, as an aftershave treatment and as a styptic for minor bleeding from shaving.

uses of Potassium alum

Chemical flocculant
Potassium alum has been used since remote antiquity for purification of turbid liquids.It is still widely used in the purification of water for drinking and industrial processes water, treatment of effluents and post-storm treatment of lakes to precipitate contaminants.

Between 30 and 40 ppm of alum for household wastewater, often more for industrial wastewater, is added to the water so that the negatively charged colloidal particles clump together into "flocs", which then float to the top of the liquid, settle to the bottom of the liquid, or can be more easily filtered from the liquid, prior to further filtration and disinfection of the water.[30] Like other similar salts, it works by neutralizing the electrical double layer surrounding very fine suspended particles, allowing them to join into flocs.

The same principle is exploited when using alum to increase the viscosity of a ceramic glaze suspension; this makes the glaze more readily adherent and slows its rate of sedimentation.

Lake pigments
Aluminum hydroxide from ṕotassium alum serves as a base for the majority of lake pigments

Dissolving iron and steel
Alum solution has the property of dissolving steels while not affecting aluminium or base metals. Alum solution can be used to dissolve steel tool bits that have become lodged in machined castings, for instance.

Other
In traditional Japanese art, alum and animal glue were dissolved in water, forming a liquid known as dousa and used as an undercoat for paper sizing.

Alum is an ingredient in some recipes for homemade modeling compounds intended for use by children.[citation needed] These are often called "play clay" or "play dough" for their similarity to "Play-Doh

Potassium alum was formerly used as a hardener for photographic emulsions (films and papers), usually as part of the fixer. It has now been replaced in that use by other chemicals.