Factors that Contribute to Sodium Lignosulfonate Price
Sodium lignosulfonate is widely used as a de-foaming agent and water reducer. It is also used as a pumping aid agent, mineral binder, road deduster, air-entraining agent, retarder, and early strength agent. The construction, petroleum, metallurgical, textile, and chemical industries all consider it as a key ingredient because of its water-reducing ability.
How much does sodium lignosulfonate cost?
High-quality sodium lignosulfonate usually costs from $0.17 to $0.35 per kilogram. The sodium lignosulfonate price varies depending on its purity, water reducing rate, pH, and appearance.
Moreover, the overall sodium lignosulfonate price may also come down if you buy in bulk. Most concrete admixture suppliers prefer selling the item in bulk so that they don’t have to pay significantly for shipping charges. Talk to the supplier regarding the price ranges of the product according to its quantity. Next, assess the average quantity of sodium lignosulfonate that you usually need for your projects. If you think you can store the product in your warehouse, it’s better to buy it in bulk to save more money.
Contributing factors to sodium lignosulfonate price
- Purity
You may come across different qualities of sodium lignosulfonate in the market. Some of them have 30 to 45% purity while others have at least 50 to 60% purity. It is always best to buy the one that has 50 to 60% purity even though it costs more. If the product has at least 60% sodium lignosulfonate, it would reduce concrete quicker than the one that has 30 to 45% purity.
- Water-reducing rate
As one of the most popular water reducing admixtures, sodium lignosulfonate can reduce water and make it easier for concrete to bind other ingredients. The ideal water-reducing rate of sodium lignosulfonate is 8 to 9%. You may find high-quality sodium lignosulfonate that has a higher water-reducing rate, but make sure you don’t buy one that has less than 8%. The higher the water reducing rate, the quicker it helps concrete mix all the other ingredients.
- PH
PH is another contributor to the final sodium lignosulfonate price. Many people only focus on the water reducing rate if they want to use sodium lignosulfonate for construction purposes. Honestly, its pH is equally important. Sodium lignosulfonate with a low pH will have an impact on its colour. You will notice that high-quality sodium lignosulfonate is yellow-brown in colour while inferior quality sodium lignosulfonate looks more brownish. Testing the two samples will show you that the former has at least a 7 to 12 pH value while the latter has a much lesser pH value.
- Appearance
As already mentioned, high-quality sodium lignosulfonate is always yellow-brown. You can figure out the sodium lignosulfonate price from its colour. Wholesalers will usually ask for a higher price if the sodium lignosulfonate is yellow-brown. The browner it gets, its price drops.
FAQs on sodium lignosulfonate
Q: What does sodium lignosulfonate contain?
A: Sodium lignosulfonate contains a combination of many chemicals, such as sodium ligno, ligninesulfonic acid, sodium lignin, SLS, ligno sulfonate, and sodium ligno sulfonate. If you want to buy high-quality sodium lignosulfonate, make sure you check its composition before purchasing.
Q: Does the colour change if the purity varies?
A: Yes, the colour will change if the purity of sodium lignosulfonate varies. If it contains less than 45% sodium lignosulfonate, you will notice a browner colour. On the other hand, if the purity is higher, you will see a yellowish brown colour.
The sodium lignosulfonate price often indicates the product’s quality and purity. You should assess your needs according to different construction projects before buying sodium lignosulfonate. Buying it in bulk is always cost-effective, but don’t forget to keep an eye on essential factors like pH, water reducing rate, and overall appearance.