Production ofFormic Acid. Investment Opportunities in Chemical Industry.
Formic acid was first isolated from certain antsand was named after the Latin Formica, meaning ant. It is made by the action ofsulfuric acid upon sodium formate, which is produced from carbon monoxide andsodium hydroxide. Formic acid. Saturated fat.
The principal use of formic acid is as apreservative and antibacterial agent in livestock feed. When sprayed on freshhay or other silage, it arrests certain decay processes and causes the feed toretain its nutritive value longer and so it is widely used to preserve winterfeed for cattle. Â Formic acid is also prepared in the form of itsesters by treatment of carbon monoxide with an alcohol such as methanol (methylalcohol) in the presence of a catalyst.