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544-17-2
futurechemical
544-17-2
project | information |
Chinese name | Calcium formate |
English name | Calcium formate |
Molecular formula | Ca(HCOO)₂ |
molecular weight | 130.11 |
CAS number | 544-17-2 |
Appearance | White crystalline powder – slightly hygroscopic |
Solubility | Soluble in water—approximately 16.5 g/100 mL (20°C); insoluble in ethanol. |
Calcium content | Approximately 30.8% (calculated as Ca) |
Thermal decomposition | Decomposes at temperatures above 300°C, producing CaCO₃ + formaldehyde (HCHO). |
Core chemical characteristics | Non-chlorine calcium source + low temperature coagulation + neutral pH – no Cl⁻ introduced |
This is the single largest use of calcium formate in terms of global consumption.
Early-strength mechanism – synergistic acceleration of Ca²⁺ and HCOO⁻
The accelerating effect of calcium formate in cement hydration comes from the synergy of two ions:
Ca²⁺: Increases the concentration of calcium ions in the liquid phase—accelerates the reaction of C₃A (tricalcium aluminate) with gypsum to form ettringite—which is the main source of the early strength skeleton of cement paste;
HCOO⁻: Formate ions form a complex layer on the surface of cement particles, which promotes the dissolution of C₃S (tricalcium silicate—the most important hydration active component of cement) and accelerates the nucleation and growth of CSH gel (the ultimate source of cement strength).
At a low temperature of 5°C, the compressive strength of cement paste without accelerator may only be 2-5 MPa in one day; after adding 1% to 2% calcium formate by weight of cement, the strength in one day can reach 512 MPa, an increase of about 100% to 150%.
Application matrix in the concrete industry
Application scenarios | Why use calcium formate instead of CaCl₂? | Typical addition amount (by weight of cement) |
Precast prestressed components | CaCl₂ is prohibited – Cl⁻ corrodes steel strand. | 0.5%~2.0% |
High-rise building construction in winter | Reinforced concrete floors and shear walls – Cl⁻ Unacceptable | 0.3%~1.0% |
dry-mixed mortar | Cl-free – Fast hardening – Sealing completed on the same day | 0.3%~1.0% |
Shotcrete (tunnel lining) | Quick-setting - Cl-free - Protective steel mesh | 0.5%~1.5% |
Self-leveling floor | Early strength – no shrinkage – no Cl⁻ | 0.5%~1.0% |
In certain special dry powder fire extinguishing agent formulations, trace amounts of calcium formate are used as moisture-proof and anti-caking additives. Utilizing its slight hygroscopicity, it forms a protective layer on the surface of the extinguishing powder particles, preventing the powder from clumping due to humidity after long-term standing in the storage tank, thus ensuring free flow and dispersion during spraying.
In flue gas treatment of cement kilns and waste incinerators, calcium formate is used as a dry or semi-dry acid gas purifier.
● Ca²⁺ reacts with SO₂ in flue gas to form CaSO₃/CaSO₄ – desulfurization;
● HCOO⁻ decomposes into CO and H₂O in high-temperature flue gas—trace reduction—assisting in the removal of NOₓ.
Calcium formate has a slightly lower desulfurization efficiency than lime (CaO) and limestone (CaCO₃) – but it is characterized by its efficient reaction in a lower temperature window (300~500°C) – making it suitable for desulfurization in the medium-temperature range of cement kiln flue gas – a region where lime and limestone are less efficient.
Similar to the role of sodium formate in the leather industry, calcium formate acts as a disguised acid and buffer in chrome tanning—HCOO⁻—guiding the acid to penetrate into the core of the leather fibers. In some industrial cleaning agent formulations, calcium formate serves as a weakly alkaline calcium source and buffer component.
In animal husbandry, industrial-grade calcium formate (feed grade) is approved as a feed additive and silage additive. It provides animals with absorbable calcium and formate ions—in piglet feed, calcium formate releases formic acid under the action of gastric acid—lowering intestinal pH—inhibiting pathogens—while simultaneously supplementing calcium—acting as both an acidifier and a calcium source. Although this application is smaller in scale than early-strength concrete, its added value and regulatory barriers are higher (requiring feed-grade certification).
Calcium Formate (industrial grade calcium formate/CAS 544-17-2) occupies a unique physical position in the formate family—unlike sodium and potassium salts, which "only participate in ionic reactions after dissolving in water," it accelerates the growth of ettringite and CSH gel by embedding itself at the molecular level into the crystallization process of cement hydration in undissolved solid cement paste.
Scene | What did calcium formate do? |
Winter high-speed railway box girder prefabrication | Ca²⁺ and HCOO⁻ accelerate the dissolution of C₃S on the surface of cement particles → rapid formation of CSH gel → doubling of strength in 1 day. |
Your tile adhesive | Two hours after adding water and stirring, the Ca(HCOO)₂ mixed into the powder has firmly solidified on the wall surface. |
Cement kiln chimney | White calcium formate powder is sprayed into the medium-temperature flue gas—Ca²⁺ binds SO₂ and HCOO⁻, decomposing them into carbon monoxide and water—resulting in desulfurization and nitrogen removal. |
In the history of winter concrete construction, CaCl₂ is the "most effective but most dangerous" and calcium formate is the "second best effective but safest". In every prestressed bridge poured in winter and every concrete wall panel precast in the cold wind, calcium formate is the bottom-line gatekeeper that "does not introduce chloride ions".
