Does Calcium Formate's performance get affected in low-temperature environments?

Calcium formate, a versatile chemical product, is widely used in various fields, including concrete early-strength admixtures, feed additives, and food preservatives. In low-temperature environments, its performance stability directly impacts application effectiveness and safety, making it a key concern for the industry. Based on practical applications and experimental data, calcium formate's performance does change to some extent at low temperatures, but its key functions remain effective. The specific impact needs to be judged comprehensively in conjunction with the application scenario.

In the concrete building materials field, the key role of calcium formate is to accelerate cement hydration and improve early strength. This function is significantly affected in low-temperature environments. Low temperatures inhibit the rate of cement hydration reactions, and while calcium formate promotes the formation of hydration products by providing formate ions, its effect weakens with decreasing temperature. Experiments show that when the ambient temperature is below 0°C, the early-strength effect of calcium formate decreases by approximately 30%-50% compared to normal temperatures, and the concrete setting time is correspondingly extended. However, compared to concrete without added calcium formate, its addition can still effectively prevent freeze-thaw damage and improve structural stability at low temperatures, especially above -5°C, where it can still maintain good early-strength performance.

In feed additive applications, the low-temperature performance of calcium formate is relatively stable. As an organic calcium salt, its main function is to regulate the pH value of the animal's intestinal tract and promote calcium absorption, a function that is not directly affected by low-temperature environments. Even during feed storage and feeding in cold regions, the chemical properties of calcium formate remain stable and do not decompose or become ineffective due to low temperatures, nor does it alter its metabolic mechanism in animals. However, it should be noted that low temperatures may cause calcium formate particles to clump together, affecting the uniformity of feed mixing and indirectly affecting the effectiveness of use. Therefore, moisture-proof and anti-caking measures should be taken during storage.

From a chemical perspective, calcium formate has a melting point of 300°C. In typical low-temperature environments ranging from room temperature to -20°C, it does not undergo phase change or chemical decomposition, and its molecular weight and chemical structure remain stable. Its water solubility decreases slightly with decreasing temperature; the solubility is approximately 16g/100mL of water at 20°C, and decreases to approximately 12g/100mL of water at 0°C, but this change has little impact on most application scenarios. For example, in concrete preparation, the hydration reaction itself is relatively slow at low temperatures, so a slight decrease in the solubility of calcium formate will not significantly affect the performance of its active ingredients.