Sodium Alginate

Sodium alginate has applications as a stabiliser, thickener, gelling agent and emulsifier and a material for micro-encapsulation. It is soluble in cold and hot water with strong agitation and can thicken and bind. Sodium alginate is used as a thickener for reactive dyes in textile screen-printing. Alginates do not react with these dyes and wash out easily, unlike starch-based thickeners. Alginates are also used in the paper industry in surface sizing and in high gloss inks to improve gloss. The poor adhesion of films of alginate to many surfaces, together with their insolubility in non-aqueous solvents, have led to their use as mould release agents. Sodium alginate also makes a good coating for anti-tack paper and is used for the production of welding rod.