Purpose of Potassium Chloride

White crystals is a common form of potassium chloride.

Potassium chloride, or KCl, has a variety of purposes. A source of potassium and a critical component in the nutrition of both animals and plants, low levels hinder development whereas high levels can lead to death. The compound can also be used as a water softener, salt substitute, and deicer.

Supplement

Potassium chloride can be used as a potassium supplement. The human body needs potassium to function properly. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, potassium "is crucial to heart function and plays a key role in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction, making it important for normal digestive and muscular function." Along with chloride and other minerals, potassium also acts as an electrolyte. Individuals suffering from hypokalemia, or potassium deficiency most often caused by loss of potassium in urine and intestines, must take potassium supplements. The University of Maryland Medical Center states, "potassium supplements, other than the small amount in a multivitamin, should be taken only under your doctor's supervision."

Fertilizer

Just as potassium is essential for human health, it is also needed to grow healthy plants. "Potassium for Crop Production" lists the roles of potassium. It "stimulates early growth, increases protein production, improves the efficiency of water use, is vital for persistence, longevity, and winter hardiness of alfalfa, and improves resistance to diseases and insects."

Euthanasia

Potassium chloride can be used in conjunction with anesthesia to euthanize various animals. Concentrated potassium chloride induces cardiac arrest. Potassium chloride provides one technique recommended by Stanford to euthanize cats, dogs, nonhuman primates, rabbits, ruminates, and swine in its research projects. Some states use potassium chloride in their lethal injections to induce cardiac arrests in a condemned prisoner.

Water Softener

According to a paper by Dr. Kim Polizotto and Dr. Charles Harms, when potassium chloride replaces sodium chloride as a water softener, "it reduces the amount of sodium in drinking water; the treated water contributes potassium to people's diets; and it eliminates the addition of sodium from water softeners into a household's septic system tank and drainfield." Additionally, the potassium in the waste water benefits plants in the drainfield. At the time of writing "An Alternative to Softening with Sodium," in 2001, the primary drawback of using potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride was cost.

Other Uses

Potassium chloride can be used as a substitute to food salt. It can also be used as a deicer. However, it can burn plant leaves and interfere with the growth of plant roots.

References

• University of Maryland Medical Center: Potassium
• University of Minnesota -- Extension: Potassium for Crop Production
• Stanford School of Medicine: Veterinary Medical Care
• Lethal Injection.org, Berkeley Law, University of California: Animal Euthanasia and Lethal Injection
• University of Wisconsin -- Stevens Point: An Alternative to Softening with Sodium

Resources

• University of Nebraska -- Lincoln: Winter Deicing Agents for the Homeowner