Calcium polysulphide, its applications and emerging risk of environmental pollution—a review article

Easy availability, preparation technique, and economic value make calcium polysulphide (CaS ₓ) a very useful inorganic chemical for various field and industrial applications. In this article, disparate applications of CaS ₓ solution have been reviewed to suggest potential and future consolidation. This article also encompasses the physiochemical properties and production of CaS ₓ solution, with critical appraisal on research focusing on CaS ₓ application in agriculture industries and removal of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from the environment. The kinetics of CaS ₓ , technical issues associated with optimization of its dosage and environmental fate is also discussed in detail. This study covers almost all of the peer-reviewed research that has been performed since 1914. Some of the critiques in this article include the lack of integration between the exposure effect and the efficiency of treatment method, effects of oxidizing environments on the long-term performance of CaS ₓ solution, and kinetics of CaS ₓ solution with the PTEs. The working model of CaS ₓ with PTEs is still system dependent, and therefore cannot be used with other applications. The kinetics of CaS ₓ is described in detail with various phase stoichiometric reactions. Environmental fate is discussed based on applications, government reports, peer-reviewed articles and kinetics of CaS ₓ , which provides a clear picture of emerging contaminants in the environment in relation to the insect resistance and ecotoxicology. Real time, lab based research articles are needed to identify toxicity limits of CaS ₓ in environment in order to describe its effective permissible limit in environmental system. This review article provides a risk assessment of environmental pollution by CaS ₓ based on its physicochemical characteristic, stoichiometry, kinetics, field, and industrial applications.