Acetates are versatile compounds used in a wide range of technical applications, from agriculture to thermal energy storage and environmentally friendly deicing.
Agriculture
Calcium acetate is highly valued in liquid foliar fertilizers.
Calcium is notoriously immobile within plant tissues, leading to physiological disorders such as bitter pit in apples or blossom-end rot in tomatoes.
Because calcium acetate is highly water-soluble and has a low salt index, it enables efficient transcuticular penetration of Ca²⁺ ions without causing leaf scorch. In addition, the acetate anion is a natural plant metabolite that can be readily metabolized through the plant's Krebs cycle.
In some formulations, it also forms a temporary film on the leaf surface, providing additional plant protection.
Eco-friendly deicing
Sodium acetate trihydrate, magnesium acetate, and calcium acetate are widely used in high-performance, environmentally friendly runway and bridge deicers.
They exhibit low eutectic temperatures and are significantly less corrosive to aircraft aluminum, steel, and concrete infrastructure than conventional chloride-based deicing salts.
In addition, they are readily biodegradable and have a low biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).
Thermal energy storage
Sodium acetate trihydrate is a well-established latent heat storage material with a heat of fusion of approximately 264 kJ/kg.
It is widely used in reusable heating pads, solar thermal storage systems, and thermal energy management applications.
