formic acid

Description

The main use of formic acid is for livestock feed in Europe, as a preservative and antibacterial agent. It can be sprayed on fresh hay or other silage to stop or delay certain decay processes. It therefore allows the feed to survive longer, and so it is widely used to preserve winter feed for cattle. In the poultry industry, it is sometimes added to feed to kill salmonella bacteria. Some beekeepers also use formic acid as a fumigant to kill a mite which attacks the bees. Formic acid is used in textile dyeing and finishing, leather tanning, nickel plating baths, electroplating, coagulating rubber latex, regenerating old rubber, and dehairing and plumping hides, and in some commercial paint strippers. It is used to make metal salts, including nickel, cadmium, and potassium formates. It is used as a solvent for perfumes, and in the manufacturing of lacquers, glass, vinyl resin plasticizers, and formate esters for flavor and fragrance. It is used in the synthesis of the artificial sweetener, aspartame.