Used in the preparation of starch and dextrin adhesives,
this product provides increased viscosity, quicker tack, and better fluidity.
In textile processing, sodium metaborate helps to stabilize hydrogen peroxide
solutions and neutralizes acidic oxidation by-products.
It makes for adhesives with increased viscosity, quicker
tack, and better fluid properties than those that don’t use borates. These
properties make the adhesive easier to work with. For example, quick tack at
reasonably low temperatures is necessary for the proper maintenance of
corrugated paperboard machines, which operate at a high speed.
Sodium metaborate’s high alkalinity and the cross-linking
reaction of borate anions with polyhydroxy groups makes it an excellent choice
for starch- and dextrin-based adhesives. The adhesives it helps to produce are
essential for use in corrugated boxes, paper bags, laminated paper boards,
carton and case sealing, gummed tape, and tube winding.
Textiles, such as cotton, are bleached with hydrogen
peroxide solutions. These solutions can be stabilized by using sodium
metaborate. It also neutralizes the acidic oxidation by-products that form
during bleaching. And, textile manufacturers can control textile sizing by
incorporating sodium metaborate-produced starch adhesive material within the
thread and binding all the fibers together to increase the thread’s tensile
strength.
As an ingredient in hard-surface cleaners, sodium metaborate
helps to remove oil, grease, rust, scale, and other particulates from metal or
glass surfaces. The borate imparts alkaline conditions that enhance the
product’s cleaning action. Sodium metaborate can also be incorporated into
liquid laundry detergents for pH control, enzyme stabilization, and its builder
properties.
Many proprietary water-treatment chemicals also include
sodium metaborate to control pH and inhibit corrosion.