Industrial Applications of Alginic Materials

Alginate is a polymeric acid with many forms of salts, such as sodium alginate, calcium alginate, and zinc alginate, among them sodium alginate is water soluble and when dissolved in water can be used in a variety of applications. As a polymeric material, alginate has thickening, emulsifying, gelling, film forming, and many other novel properties, which can be used as food ingredient, gelling agent, chelating agent, binder, and many other end uses. Alginate fibers can be made through a wet spinning process and the fibrous materials can be further processed into textile materials that are now widely used in wound dressings, cosmetic products, and hygiene materials, utilizing their high absorbency and gelling properties.