Sodium molybdate is a source of molybdenum oxide, and this chemical has a variety of useful industrial, commercial, and agricultural purposes. In this blog from Bisley, we’ll discuss a few of the most common uses for this chemical, and discuss its importance for each one.
1. Agricultural Additive For Fertilizer
Sodium molybdate is widely used as an agricultural additive on farms. It’s an ideal choice for fertilizer applications. This is because the basic chemistry of molybdate compounds like sodium molybdate include molybdenum oxide at its highest oxidation state.
This means that the chemical is highly-soluble in water. This means that fertilizers using sodium molybdate easily combine and mix with water and soak into soil, delivering molybdenum oxide and other valuable micronutrients into the roots and minimizing runoff, which wastes chemical compounds and can have negative environmental consequences.
Sodium molybdate is particularly popular among farmers who primarily focus on legumes like lentils, beans, alfalfa, and peanuts. It helps with the uptake of nitrogen, ensuring efficient nitrogen-fixing for these plants, and allowing nitrogen to be synthesized into ammonia and essential amino acids.
2. Hydroponic Farming & Agriculture
Similarly to traditional soil-based fertilizer applications, sodium molybdate can be used in hydroponic farming, which uses inert substrates as the growing medium instead of soil. Mineral nutrient solutions are delivered directly to the plants using water, so highly-soluble nutrients and fertilizers – such as sodium molybdate – are very desirable for these purposes.
3. Corrosion Inhibitor
Sodium molybdate is commonly used as a metal corrosion inhibitor for iron and steel, and is commonly found in water treatment products like chiller systems, where bimetallic design and construction can raise the risk of metal corrosion.
This additive is primarily used in closed-loop systems, and is regarded to be far superior to other corrosion inhibitors like sodium nitrate. At concentrations of just 50 to 100 ppm, sodium molybdate offers superior performance compared to 800+ ppm concentrations of sodium nitrate.
4. Nutritional Supplement
Some people may choose to supplement their diets with sodium molybdate. These products can be found on their own, but molybdenum is typically found in multivitamins and complex vitamins. Typical doses for dietary supplements range from about 50 mcg to 500 mcg (micrograms) of sodium molybdate.
Most people do not need an additional source of molybdenum, as this micronutrient is present in a wide variety of foods, such as legumes, yogurt, potatoes, whole-grain bread, beef liver, spinach, corn, cheese, tuna, and more.
However, in individuals who may have an improper diet or who wish to ensure they get adequate micronutrients, sodium molybdate is a good option. Cases of toxicity due to excessive intake of molybdenum are rare, and usually only occur due to exposure in the mining and metalworking industries, so supplementing with sodium molybdate is typically harmless.
Contact Bisley – Australia’s Leading Supplier Of Sodium Molybdate
At Bisley, we specialise in producing a wide variety of chemicals and compounds, including sodium molybdate. Whether you’re in need of a reliable source of agricultural fertilizer, corrosion inhibitors for water treatment, or supplement-grade sodium molybdate for vitamin production, we’re here to help.
Contact us online to learn more about our capabilities, sodium molybdate production, and further details. We serve customers throughout Australia and worldwide with our high-quality wholesale industrial chemicals.