A Few Basic Facts About Sodium Hydroxide
Sodium hydroxide, a white crystalline substance, also known in other terms such as Lye, caustic soda, white caustic, lye soda, and sodium hydrate. The chemical formula is NaOH, and is known to corrosive and dissolve in water, alcohol, and glycerin. This is usually found in crystalline form, but you can also buy sodium hydroxide in liquid and powder.
The chemical may sound unknown to you but it can be found in household products such as oven cleaners and drain cleaners. The thing about cleaners that contain the substance is that they tend to turn fats into soap, making them efficient in removing clogs from pipes which are usually a mixture of fats and grease.
Its value does not end on these household products. It is valuable in many other ways the same as its role in the paper industry where it used to break lignin on wood. Lignin brings together cellulose fibres in wood, and the removal is responsible for having the released cellulose fibre formed into paper. So now you can imagine how important substance in the paper industry.
In addition to being a contributor to paper production, this substance is also valuable for the food industry. It plays an important role in the processing of chocolate and cocoa, caramel colouring production, peelers of fruits and vegetables, and poultry water.
