Urea (Carbamide)
Synthetic urea is created from synthetic ammonia and carbon dioxide and is produced in solid form. Urea is also known by the brand name urea. Urea is produced naturally when breaking down protein or amino acids and ammonia. Urea plays an important role in the metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds by animals and is the main nitrogen-containing substance in the urine of mammals. This solid substance is very soluble in water and is almost non-toxic. It is also not acidic or alkaline in terms of pH. Urea is widely used as a source of nitrogen (N) in fertilizers and is an important raw material for the chemical industry.
Types :
- Laboratory urea
- industrial urea
Applications :
- It is used as a raw material for the production of urea-formaldehyde and urea-melamine-formaldehyde resins.
- Urea is also used to produce plywood.
- It is also used as a stabilizer of nitrocellulose explosives.
- Urea has important uses as a fertilizer and food supplement, as well as a raw material for the production of plastic and medicine.
- It is an element in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) that contains 32.5% urea and 67.5% deionized water. DEF is injected into the exhaust stream of diesel vehicles to break down dangerous NOx emissions into harmless nitrogen and water.
- A component of animal feed, it is a relatively inexpensive source of nitrogen to promote growth.
- It is considered a non-corrosive alternative to rock salt for road de-icing. It is often the main ingredient in pet-friendly salt alternatives, although it is less effective than traditional rock salt or calcium chloride.
- It is a main ingredient in the formulation of hair removal compounds such as Veet.
- It is one of the reasons for the brown color in the cans produced in the factory.
- It is an ingredient in some skin creams, moisturizers, hair conditioners and shampoos.
- A flame retardant, commonly used in dry chemical fire extinguishing charges such as a mixture of urea and potassium bicarbonate.
- It is an important ingredient in the formulation of many teeth whitening products.
- It is one of the raw materials for the production of dishwashing soap.
- It is used together with diammonium phosphate as a yeast nutrient to ferment sugars into ethanol.
- Nutrient used by plankton in ocean feeding experiments for geoengineering purposes.
- It is used as an additive to increase the working temperature and opening time of skin glue.
- It is used as an additive for solubility and moisture retention in dye baths for dyeing or printing fabric.
- It is used as an optical parametric oscillator in nonlinear optics.
- Urea is a raw material that is used in the manufacture of many chemicals such as various plastics, urea-formaldehyde resins and adhesives.
- Also, industrial urea is necessary for the production of raw materials, glue, fertilizer, commercial products and resin production.