Iron oxide is a compound made from oxygen and iron. There are about 16 known oxyhydroxides and iron oxide, the most famous being rust, a type of ferric oxide.
Oxyhydroxides and iron oxides are widespread, and they play essential roles in biological and geological processes. They are used in pigments, iron ore, thermites, and catalysts and are contained in hemoglobin.
Iron oxide is also a permanent and cheap pigment found in colored concrete, coatings, and points. Some commonly available colors are on the soil edge of the black, brown, red, orange, and yellow range. When used as food coloring, the E number is E172.
Uses of Iron Oxide in Business
How has iron oxide benefitted business you may ask. Let’s find out:
1. Medicine
Calamine lotion is used to treat mild itchiness. It is mainly composed of a zinc oxide combination that acts as an astringent and about 0.5% iron III oxide, which is the product’s active ingredient and acts as an antipruritic. The red color in iron III oxide is also widely and primarily used for the familiar pink color lotion.
2. Iron Industry
The bulk of iron oxide III is usually apportioned on the feedstock of steel and iron industries, for instance, in the production of iron, steel, and several other alloys.
3. Pigment
Iron oxide is also used as a pigment under several names like pigment Red 101, pigment brown 7, and pigment brown 6. Some of these, such as pigment red 101 and pigment brown 6, are also approved by the US Food & Drug Administration – FDA for cosmetic use. In addition, iron oxide can also be used as pigments in titanium oxides and dental composites.
4. Polishing
An excellent powder of the ferric oxide is called jeweler’s rouge, red rouge, or simply just as rouge. Iron oxide can sometimes also be used to put the final polish on the metallic lenses of a piece of jewelry. The rouge cuts more slowly than modern polishes such as cerium IV oxide.
However, jewelers still use it for its superior finish in production and its optics fabrication. In addition, the rouge slightly stains the gold when polishing gold, contributing to the finished appearance piece.
Iron oxide also has other uses in the business industry, they include:
- Common black iron oxide is used in stamped embossed inks and copper plates.
- It is also used as a naturally occurring pigment that contains titanium dioxide.
- They are used as abrasives in the jewelry industry.
- Iron oxide is part of the main component of products in cosmetics, 0lastic, paint, and pharmaceutical industries.
- The salt is also used as a flocculant in wastewater treatment, feed additive production, fertilizer, and fiber dyeing.
Iron Oxide Applications
Iron oxides are commonly applied components in several manufacturing business processes. They are integral for various high applications, resulting in some of the most prominent goods seen today.
Below are some common manufacturing applications for iron oxide.
● Magnetic tape
Manufacturing magnetic tape energizes electromagnets to affect a recording medium. The magnetic medium usually picks up the polarity transferred to it but does not lose the polarity quickly after the fact.
These tapes can be applied specifically in auto recording, data recording, video recording, and also on the back of credit cards. Iron oxide is the most common magnetic particle that companies use in making magnetic storage tape.
It was also the most commonly used medium for computer data storage but has now been taken over gradually by cobalt alloys and another thinner, higher-storage solutions.
● Pigment production
Iron III oxide has a striking red color. And because of this, it is considered a valuable pigment for use by many manufacturing companies. Within the manufacturing industry, this material is also known as pigment red 101, pigment 7, and pigment 6.
It can also be synthetically produced in the lab or derived naturally from hematite. In addition, the FDA approves some iron oxide pigments for cosmetic manufacturing use.
On the other hand, other pigments are primarily used in the construction industry for paint, coatings, and other industrial finishes. Transparent iron oxide pigments are also commercially sold as staining products like wood stains for decking. Iron oxide pigments are also blended to create a wide array of earth-toned colors.
● Steel and iron feedstock
Ferric iron is a major source of iron for the whole steel industry. Steel itself is an alloy made of carbon, iron, and other elements. However, iron remains the base metal and makes up about 95% of the atomic structure of steel. Iron III oxide is used as the base metal when the iron is made in the industry.
Final Words
Iron III oxide and other iron oxides are vital to the success of a large number of manufacturing business processes. The industrial demand for iron oxide has increased since construction continues to thrive.