End Uses of Potassium Hydroxide

Potassium hydroxide, like its sodium counterpart, is a versatile intermediate in the production of chemicals. Because KOH is more expensive, NaOH dominates in large-scale uses, and potassium chemicals are largely restricted to specialty markets. They are often more soluble and more reactive than the corresponding sodium chemicals, and this fact is responsible for many of their applications. Widely used derivatives include acetate, bicarbonate, bromide, cyanide, ferrocyanide, oxalate, permanganate, and phosphate. The derivative with the greatest market probably is potassium carbonate, which is discussed in Section 7.5.2.2A. 

The largest end-use for KOH is the production of soaps and detergents. The cost handicap, again, does not prevent the use of KOH in specialty products, primarily liquid soaps, detergents, and shampoos. KOH is also used in glassmaking, in petroleum refineries for the removal of sulfides and mercaptans, in fertilizers, and in many other products. 

Worldwide capacity for production of KOH is about 1.7 x 10 tons/yr. Production is expected to grow by 4-5% per year from the 1.4 x 10 tons produced in 2001 [17]. 

The excess capacity should then disappear within a few years, but it is not known how much swing capacity exists that can easily be switched from NaOH to KOH production. 

Paper presented at the 1999 World Petrochemical Conference, Houston, TX, March 24-25 (1999). 

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