Potassium Acetate Replacement 
of Lithium Chloride for
AQUALAB 0.25 a_w and 0.50 a_w 
Water Activity Standards

BACKGROUND

Lithium is a naturally occurring element that must be mined and processed to be used in various applications. As a limited and relatively rare resource, its availability has become increasingly constrained due to rising global demand, leading to higher costs and greater competition for supply. Ensuring access to ultra-pure lithium chloride, which is crucial for AQUALAB water activity standards, poses a significant challenge, as impurities can affect the efficacy. Additionally, supply chain disruptions have further complicated the lithium market, causing fluctuations in availability and price, making it difficult to maintain consistent production.

For these reasons, AQUALAB has decided to reduce our own dependence on lithium by switching from lithium chloride to potassium acetate in the manufacture of our 0.25 aw and 0.50 aw water activity standards.

ADVANTAGES

Potassium acetate offers significant advantages over lithium chloride, aligning with AQUALAB’s commitment to sustainability, safety, and quality. Potassium acetate is much safer to handle, as it is non-toxic and classified as a non-hazardous material, making it a more environmentally and user-friendly alternative. Unlike lithium chloride, which requires mining, potassium acetate is manufactured, ensuring a more sustainable, consistent, and higher quality supply.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

All AQUALAB water activity standards are produced to the highest quality. Each water activity standard is supplied with a Certificate of Conformance (CoC) to ensure traceability, reliability, and consistency. AQUALAB potassium acetate standards perform to the same specifications as the current lithium chloride standards.

TIMELINE

We will continue producing our lithium chloride-based 0.25 aw and 0.50 aw Water Activity Standards while utilizing our existing supplies. Once our current stock is depleted, we will transition to potassium acetate. We expect the new water activity standards to be available as early as April 2025. 

TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY & FIRMWARE

Potassium acetate is less sensitive to temperature than the lithium chloride counterparts. For instruments that are user calibrated at temperatures other than 25 °C, new firmware may be needed. 
 

If you have questions, please contact us - we're here to help!
 

Phone: +1 (509) 332-5601
Sales: sales@aqualab.com
Support: support@aqualab.com 
Web: https://aqualab.com/