AMMONIUM SULFATE CAS N°: 7783-20-2

OECD SIDS
AMMONIUM SULFATE
- in the leather industry for the production of oozes and deliming agents
- in the paper industry for the production of fire-resistant papers
- in the pharmaceutical industry as a nutrient for microorganisms
- in the textile industry as an additive to dye baths and for flame proofing fabrics, wadding
and wicks, and in the production of auxiliaries for textiles processing
- in the wood pulp industry in the production of yeast and sulfite liquor
Further uses reported in the literature include industrial applications such as in water treatment, in
shale stabilization and drilling fluids, for galvanizing iron, and for analytical purposes, e.g. for the
fractionation of proteins. It is also used in the manufacturing of food additives (aluminum
ammonium sulfate) and in the manufacture of viscose silk, ammonia alum, and hydrogen sulfide,
wash- and cleaning agents and disinfectants. Combinations of ammonium sulfate and ammonium
phosphate or diammonium phosphate are used for fire retardant chemicals (Johnson and Sanders,
1977; Kirk-Othmer, 1984; Budavari, 1996; HSDB, 2002) and for the production of persulfates,
flameproofing agents, and fire extinguishing powders; in tanning; in the photographic, textile, and
glass industries; and as a nutrient for yeast and bacterial cultures (Ullmann, 2000).
The Danish Product Register (2002) lists 72 products containing 18 tons per annum ammonium
sulfate, with the largest category (12 tonnes per annum) being agricultural pesticides generally
containing 20 - 50 % ammonium sulfate. Non-agriculture products including products intended for
use by the general public (e.g. cleaning products, paints) contain relatively low ammonium sulfate
levels (0 - 2 %); the quantities of these products were less than 1 ton per annum ammonium sulfate.
The Swiss Product Register (2002) lists 610 ammonium sulfate containing products. The most
important use of ammonium sulfate in private households is as fertilizer or in horticulture products,
which contain ammonium sulfate concentrations up to 100 %. Cleaning products, paints, laboratory
chemicals, and auxiliaries are listed as the most important industrial use categories. The Swedish
Product Register (2002) contains 157 products of ammonium sulfate; 26 products thereof are
available to consumers. Consumer products are mainly used as fertilizers and fire extinguishing
agents.
2.2 Environmental Exposure and Fate
2.2.1 Sources of Environmental Exposure
Ammonium salts and sulfates are abundant in the environment. Ammonium sulfate is a
neutralization product of ammonia and sulfuric acid (WHO, 1986). Sulfate results from the
oxidation of elemental sulfur, sulfide minerals, and organic sulfur, e.g. through the combustion of
sulfur-containing fuels. Sulfates are found almost universally in natural waters at concentrations
ranging from a few tenths to several thousand mg/l (EPA, 2002).
In the frame of the German water quality monitoring program ammonium nitrogen concentrations
were measured. In 2000, the rivers Danube, Oder, Weser, Rhine, and Elbe showed concentrations
(50 th percentile) ranging from 0.04 to 0.07 mg/l (UBA, 2003).
UBA (2003) states that in Germany 624 000 t ammonia were emitted to air in 1999. Livestock
farming (ca. 83 %) and fertilizer use (ca. 12 %) are the main sources for the emissions. Industrial
releases of ammonia were less than 3 %. In the atmosphere, ammonia can react with sulfur dioxide
to produce ammonium sulfate contained in atmospheric aerosols. These can return to the earth`s
surface as wet or dry deposition (Scott and Cattell, 1979; Gmur, Evans and Cunningham, 1983). For
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