Different Industrial Uses Of Iron Oxide Powder

Iron oxide powder | Image Resource : web.tradekorea.com

Iron oxide is an inorganic chemical, which generally occurs in nature as mineral ore, called Hematite. But the powdered form of Iron oxide is effectively used for many industrial purposes, where different polymorphs of this chemical are used for quicker reactions, alpha and gamma phases are the main types generally seen to be used.

The best thing about it is that Iron oxide powder can also be formed in the laboratories, by the oxidation of raw iron or decomposition of iron hydroxide under the influence of very high temperature.

Uses of Iron oxide powder in major industrial categories

The powdered form of iron oxide is used as the major raw material in the Steel and iron industries, for the production of steel and iron materials, along with the several important alloys of iron.

A finely powdered form of iron oxide is known as ‘rouge’ or ‘red rouge’, for its characteristic red color. This rouge is widely used in polishing gold ornaments and other metallic jewelry, for providing better finish to the products. This powdered iron oxide is also used in polishing the lenses used in making spectacles. This chemical powder is also greatly useful in sharpening the edges of various tools like knives, razors or any other cutting instruments.

This red or brown colored powder of iron oxide is used in various types of pigment industries, like the companies manufacturing paints and shoe polish. This powdered chemical is also used in coloring leathers, rubber products, tiles and concrete. This powder is also used as a pigment for dental composites, where the color of the newly installed tooth needs to be matched with the existing ones.

The iron oxide dust is also beneficial and safe for using in making different types of cosmetics, like lipsticks, talcum powder, body creams or facial creams. A bit granular form of iron oxide can be used in salt-water and the reefs present in the aquariums.

Most importantly, very minute particles of iron oxide are used in various biomedical applications; for example, as reagents in doing an MRI, in marking the cancerous tissues of the body, localized thermotherapy for detection of diseased tissues and the formation of ferrofluids for magnetic therapies.