Ferrous Sulfate
Ferrous sulfate can be used to make iron salts, iron oxide pigments, mordants, water purifying agents, preservatives and disinfectants.
1. Water treatment: used for the flocculation and purification of water and to remove phosphates from municipal and industrial wastewater so as to prevent eutrophication. 2. Reducing agent: large amounts of ferrous sulfate are used as a reducing agent, mainly to reduce chromates in cement. 3. Pharmaceutical: used to treat iron-deficiency anaemia and to add iron to food; in medicine it can also serve as a local astringent and blood tonic. 4. Colorant: ferrous sulfate is required to produce iron-gall ink and other inks, and is also contained in mordants for wood dyeing; it can dye concrete a yellow rust colour; woodworkers use it to give maple a silvery tint. 5. Agriculture: it regulates soil pH and promotes chlorophyll formation (also called iron fertilizer) and can prevent chlorosis caused by iron deficiency in flowering plants; it is indispensable for acid-loving plants, especially sago palms. In agriculture it can also be used as a pesticide to control wheat smut, apple and pear scab and fruit tree rot, and as a fertilizer it removes moss and lichen from tree trunks. 6. Analytical chemistry: ferrous sulfate can be used as a reagent for chromatographic analysis.
