Sodium Aluminum Sulfate  is an inorganic compound made up of sodium, aluminum, sulfur, and oxygen.

The name describes the structure of the molecule.

• Sodium. An alkali metal, often present in food ingredients as a pH regulator or leavening agent.
• Aluminum. A light and durable metal, used in various compounds in food and cosmetics.
• Sulfate. A salt or ester of sulfuric acid, often used in food and industrial contexts.

Description of raw materials used in production. 

• The main raw materials used for the production of sodium aluminum sulfate include bauxite ore (the primary source of aluminum), sodium sulfate, and sulfuric acid.

Step-by-step summary of industrial chemical synthesis process.

• Aluminum Extraction. Aluminum is extracted from bauxite via a refining process, such as the Bayer process.
• Producing Aluminum Sulfate. The extracted aluminum reacts with sulfuric acid to produce aluminum sulfate.
• Adding Sodium. The aluminum sulfate is then treated with sodium sulfate, resulting in sodium aluminum sulfate.
• Crystallization. The sodium aluminum sulfate is crystallized and subsequently dried.
• Sifting and Packaging. The crystallized product is sifted to achieve uniform particle size and packaged for shipment and sale.

Form and color. Sodium aluminum sulfate typically appears as a white crystalline solid or powder.

Commercial applications. 

This compound is commonly used in the food industry as a leavening agent, particularly in baking mixes like chemical leaveners. It can also be used in water treatment processes and some industrial applications.

Baking. Used as a stabilizer in leavening agents for baking and in certain types of cakes and baked goods.

Food Preservative. Can function as a preservative in certain foods and drinks to prevent microbial growth.

Water Treatment. Sometimes used in the water purification process to remove suspended particles and impurities.

Textile Dyeing. Utilized in the production of mordants used in the textile dyeing process.

Paper Industry. May be used in paper production to help fix dyes to cellulose fiber.

Chemical Uses. It is used as a component in some chemical reactions in industries.

Cosmetics. In rare cases, it might find usage in cosmetic products, though safety and skin compatibility are essential to verify.

Safety

Careful consideration should be given to the risk of cumulative aluminum intake, which cannot be ruled out because this ingredient can be found in both cosmetic products and widely consumed food products such as bread, various baked goods (1).

Molecular Formula  AlNaO₈S₂

Molecular Weight  242.10 g/mol

CAS   10102-71-3

UNII    0CM6A697VV

EC Number   233-277-3

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) (EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS); Younes M, Aggett P, Aguilar F, Crebelli R, Dusemund B, Filipič M, Frutos MJ, Galtier P, Gott D, Gundert-Remy U, Kuhnle GG, Lambré C, Leblanc JC, Lillegaard IT, Moldeus P, Mortensen A, Oskarsson A, Stankovic I, Waalkens-Berendsen I, Wright M, Di Domenico A, van Loveren H, Giarola A, Horvath Z, Lodi F, Tard A, Woutersen RA. Re-evaluation of aluminium sulphates (E 520-523) and sodium aluminium phosphate (E 541) as food additives. EFSA J. 2018 Jul 27;16(7):e05372. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5372.)

Tietz, T., Lenzner, A., Kolbaum, A.E. et al. Aggregated aluminium exposure: risk assessment for the general population. Arch Toxicol 93, 3503–3521 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02599-z

 Abstract. Aluminium is one of the most abundant elements in earth’s crust and its manifold uses result in an exposure of the population from many sources. Developmental toxicity, effects on the urinary tract and neurotoxicity are known effects of aluminium and its compounds. Here, we assessed the health risks resulting from total consumer exposure towards aluminium and various aluminium compounds, including contributions from foodstuffs, food additives, food contact materials (FCM), and cosmetic products. For the estimation of aluminium contents in foodstuff, data from the German “Pilot-Total-Diet-Study” were used, which was conducted as part of the European TDS-Exposure project. These were combined with consumption data from the German National Consumption Survey II to yield aluminium exposure via food for adults. It was found that the average weekly aluminium exposure resulting from food intake amounts to approx. 50% of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg/kg body weight (bw)/week, derived by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). For children, data from the French “Infant Total Diet Study” and the “Second French Total Diet Study” were used to estimate aluminium exposure via food. As a result, the TWI can be exhausted or slightly exceeded—particularly for infants who are not exclusively breastfed and young children relying on specially adapted diets (e.g. soy-based, lactose free, hypoallergenic). When taking into account the overall aluminium exposure from foods, cosmetic products (cosmetics), pharmaceuticals and FCM from uncoated aluminium, a significant exceedance of the EFSA-derived TWI and even the PTWI of 2 mg/kg bw/week, derived by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, may occur. Specifically, high exposure levels were found for adolescents aged 11–14 years. Although exposure data were collected with special regard to the German population, it is also representative for European and comparable to international consumers. From a toxicological point of view, regular exceedance of the lifetime tolerable aluminium intake (TWI/PTWI) is undesirable, since this results in an increased risk for health impairments. Consequently, recommendations on how to reduce overall aluminium exposure are given.