aluminum sulfate

noun

: a white salt Al₂(SO₄)₃ usually made by treating bauxite with sulfuric acid and used in making paper, in water purification, and in tanning

Examples of aluminum sulfate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Blue and purple varieties of big leaf and mountain hydrangeas can benefit from the application of aluminum sulfate during bud development in May to boost flower color. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2025

Now, a research center in Florida is planning to test another Lake Guard formula, which uses aluminum sulfate rather than hydrogen peroxide, in Lake Jesup, a 16,000-acre lake in Seminole County that faces multiple harmful algal blooms each year. —Diana Kruzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025

Regulators suspect a significant portion of Stauffer’s waste is alum mud, a radioactive sludge that is a byproduct of producing aluminum sulfate. —Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024

The most common, reliable, and affordable treatment is coagulation/filtration, which uses aluminum sulfate to consolidate both inorganic mercury and methylmercury into a solid that can be removed from the water and summarily disposed of at a hazardous waste site. —Gia Mora, Treehugger, 8 Mar. 2023

Chesterton firefighters applied oil dry to the roadway to contain leaking fluids from the truck and put up a light tower, not clearing the scene until 5:54 a.m. The truck was hauling aluminum sulfate, a nontoxic powder used in the purification of drinking water. —Amy Lavalley, chicagotribune.com, 13 Apr. 2021

Savvy consumers will notice potassium aluminum sulfate listed in the ingredients of this deodorant, which is a mineral salt with astringent and antimicrobial properties. —Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 19 Apr. 2022

To make the iron in the soil more readily available, the soil should be treated with an acidifying agent such as sulfur, iron sulfate (copperas), aluminum sulfate or a liquid soil acidifier. —Dan Gill, NOLA.com, 27 Jan. 2021

At this point, the water still has the tea-like color of river water, which the plants eliminate using aluminum sulfate. —Eric Roper, Star Tribune, 9 Oct. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aluminum sulfate

• acetoacetate
• macroinvertebrate
• oxaloacetate
• phosphoenolpyruvate
• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate

Kids Definition

aluminum sulfate

noun

: a white salt made from bauxite and used in making paper, purifying water, and tanning

Medical Definition

aluminum sulfate

noun

: a colorless salt Al₂(SO₄)₃ that is a powerful astringent and is used as a local antiperspirant and in water purification