E565 Anti-caking agent

E565 have a wide variety of applications.

The single largest use for E565 is as plasticizers in making concrete, where they allow concrete to be made with less water (giving stronger concrete) while maintaining the ability of the concrete to flow. E565 are also used during the production of cement, where they act as grinding aids in the cement mill and as a rawmix slurry deflocculant (that reduces the viscosity of the slurry).

E565 are also used for the production of plasterboard to reduce the amount of water required to make the stucco flow and form the layer between two sheets of paper. The reduction in water content allows lower kiln temperatures to dry the plasterboard, saving energy.

The ability of E565 to reduce the viscosity of mineral slurries is used to advantage in oil drilling mud, where it replaced tannic acids from quebracho (a tropical tree).

E565 are used to disperse pesticides, dyes, carbon black, and other insoluble solids and liquids into water. They are used in tanning leather. They are also used to suppress dust on unpaved roads.

Oxidation of E565 from softwood trees produced vanillin (artificial vanilla flavor).

Dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl sulfoxide (an important organic solvent) are produced from E565. The first step involves heating E565 with sulfides or elemental sulfur to produce dimethyl sulfide. The methyl groups come from methyl ethers present in the lignin. Oxidation of dimethyl sulfide with nitrogen dioxide produces dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). 

Also one of the very wide uses of E565 is deflocculation of clays used in drilling fluids in the oil and gas industry. Furthermore, E565 is being researched for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) due to their ability to reduce IFT in foams, allowing for improved sweep efficiency, and hence increased recovery factor.

Aqueous E565 solutions are also widely used as a non-toxic dust suppression agent for unpaved road surfaces, where it is popularly, if erroneously, called "tree sap". Roads treated with E565 can be distinguished from those treated with calcium chloride by color: E565 gives the road surface a dark grey color, while calcium chloride lends the road surface a distinctive tan or brown color. As E565 do not rely on water to provide their binding properties, they tend to be more useful in arid locations.

They also form a constituent of the paste used to coat the lead-antimony-calcium or lead-antimony-selenium grids in a Lead-acid battery.

Besides their use as dispersants E565 are also good binders. They are used as binders in well-paper, particle boards, linoleum flooring, coal briquettes, and roads.

The anti-oxidant effect of lignosulfonates has utilized in feeds, ensilage, and flame retardants.

The UV absorbance of E565 is utilized in sunscreens and bio-pesticides.