USAID DEC
The granulation process described in this patent involves the production of high purity granules of salt material.
6 pages

Abstract
The process begins with the formation of a wet blend by intensively mixing together three components: particles of soluble fine water-soluble salt, particles of water-insoluble salt, and sufficient water or saturated water solution to provide a moisture content of up to 20% by weight of the mixture. The wet blend is then granulated, preferably by pan granulation, and dried to recover the granular product. The resulting product comprises a granular salt product with high purity (up to 99% salt), uniform size distribution in the range of 2 to 4 mm, a crush strength of greater than 3 lbs/granule, and a final moisture content of about 1.0% or less. This product is suitable for use as a fertilizer, particularly nitrogen and potassium containing salt granules. The granulation process described in this patent is particularly useful in providing granules of salts which are useful as fertilizers, especially nitrogen and potassium containing salt granules. The process is also useful in producing granular salt products with superior combination of particle size and strength properties. The prior art has succeeded in producing granules of fertilizer components containing N and K primarily by prilling melt or crystallization processes. However, these processes have been associated with the small size of the resulting granules, which cause severe problems of segregation in bulk blending. The smaller granules from these processes tend to produce non-uniform compositions and consequent non-uniform crop response. The present invention provides a solution to these problems by a unique granulation process which makes available for the first time N and K containing salts with particle size distribution and strength properties previously unattainable in the prior art. The process involves the formation of a wet blend by intensively mixing together three components: particles of soluble fine water-soluble salt, particles of water-insoluble salt, and sufficient water or saturated water solution to provide a moisture content of up to 20% by weight of the mixture. The granules produced by this process have a number of desirable properties, including high purity, uniform size distribution, and high crush strength. These properties make the granules suitable for use in bulk blending and field application. The granules are also resistant to caking during shipping and handling, which is an important property for fertilizers. The granulation process described in this patent is a significant improvement over the prior art, which has been associated with the small size of the resulting granules. The process provides a solution to the problems of segregation in bulk blending and non-uniform crop response, and makes available for the first time N and K containing salts with particle size distribution and strength properties previously unattainable in the prior art. The granules produced by this process have a number of potential applications, including use as fertilizers in agriculture. The granules are also suitable for use in other applications where high purity and uniform size distribution are required. The process is a significant improvement over the prior art and provides a solution to the problems of segregation in bulk blending and non-uniform crop response.
Classification