19 Iron Oxide Uses: Facts You Should Know!

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Iron oxide is an inorganic compound with iron and oxygen, widely used in various industries, as discussed below. Let us see several uses of iron oxide.

Iron oxide is a red-brown compound with the chemical formula Fe2O3, generally used in the following ways:

  • Steel industry for the production of steel.
  • Paint industry as a pigment.
  • Electronic industry.
  • Magnetic recording tapes.
  • Cosmetic industry.
  • Jewelry.
  • wastewater management.
  • Plastic production.
  • Metal plate production.

This article will discuss the different uses of Fe2O3 in various fields, as shown below.

Steel industry

  • Iron oxide is a feedstock used to produce steel, iron and various alloys. It is the base metal covering about 95% of steel constituent.
  • Fe2O3 pellets are widely used in the production of shaft furnace smelting.

Paint industry

  • Swedish paint color Falu Red is made from hematite.
  • Fe2O3 gives color to cement.
  • Fe2O3 is used as a component in stamp-embossed inks.
  • Inks are made from Fe2O3.
  • Transparent Fe2O3 is sold as staining, like wood staining for decking.

Electronic industry

  • Fe2O3 nanoparticles are widely used in various clinical applications.
  • It is used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging for target delivery.
  • Fe2O3 act as an excellent semi-conductor for photocatalytic inactivation.

Magnetic recording tapes

Fe2O3 is broadly used in the manufacturing of magnetic storage tapes.

Cosmetic industry

  • Fe2O3 is used as a pigment named Pigment brown 6, Pigment Brown 7, and Pigment Brown 101 in cosmetics.
  • Fe2O3 has a naturally occurring pigment called titanium dioxide.
  • Dental composites use iron oxide along with titanium oxide for their pigmentation.

Jewelry

  • Red Rouge, a fine powder of Fe2O3 is used to polish jewelry. It gives the final finish to metallic jewelry and lenses.
  • Fe2O3 is widely used as an abrasive in the jewelry industry.

Wastewater management

Iron oxide is an excellent flocculant in wastewater management.

Plastic production

  • Plastics are made from Fe2O3, which are an important component.
  • Fe2O3 is highly used in plastics as a colorant with enhances the properties of finished products.

Metal plate production

Black Fe2O3 is used in the manufacturing of copper plates.

Conclusion

Iron oxide is an inexpensive compound used in the paint, steel, and cosmetic industry. Rust can be defined as an ill-defined hydrated form of iron oxide. Fe2O3 has a red tint and is widely used in concrete coloring.