INORGANIC GRANULATE MATERIALS
The present invention relates to a granulated composition, comprising a particulate alkaline metal hydroxide or alkaline metal oxide or mixtures thereof and methods of granulating particulate alkaline metal hydroxides and alkaline metal oxides or mixtures thereof. The invention further concerns the granulated products obtained from the said methods.
1 . A granulated composition, comprising a particulate alkaline earth metal hydroxide, an alkaline earth metal oxide, or mixtures thereof and one or more process additives, wherein
the said one or more process additives is selected from talc, bentonite, zeolite, diatomaceous earth cationic, mica, hydrophobic carbonates, and mixtures thereof, and
the composition comprises from 0.1 wt.-% to 50 wt.-% process additive and from 99.9 wt.-% to 50 wt.-% particulate alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or mixtures thereof, based on the total solids content of the granulated composition.
2 . (canceled)
3 . A granulated composition according to claim 1 having a moisture content from 0.1 wt.-% to 35 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition.
4 . (canceled)
5 . A granulated composition according to claim 4 , comprising about 5 wt.-% process additive and about 95 wt.-% particulate alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or mixtures thereof, based on the total solids content of the granulated composition.
6 . A granulated composition according to claim 1 , which is in the shape of a brick, a briquette, a pellet, a pressing, a mould, a preform, a spray-dried powder, a tablet, an aggregate, a rod, or an agglomerate.
7 . A method of granulating particulate alkaline earth metal hydroxides, and alkaline earth metal oxides or mixtures thereof, comprising the step of admixture of one or more process additives to the said particulate alkaline earth metal hydroxides, and alkaline earth metal oxides, or mixtures thereof.
8 . A method according to claim 7 , wherein the said one or more process additives is selected from talc, bentonite, zeolite, diatomaceous earth, cationic mica, hydrophobic carbonates, and mixtures thereof.
9 . A method according to claim 7 , wherein the said one or more process additives is talc selected from micronized talc, bimodal talc, and cationic talc.
10 . A method according to claim 7 , wherein the alkaline earth metal in the said particulate alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, or mixtures thereof is selected from magnesium, calcium, and mixtures thereof.
11 . A method according to claim 7 , wherein the particulate alkaline earth metal oxide or alkaline earth metal hydroxide or mixture thereof ranges from 50 wt.-% to 99.9 wt.-%, and the amount of the process additive ranges from 50 wt.-% to 0.1 wt.-%, each on the basis of the total solids content of the composition to be granulated.
12 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein the particulate alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or mixture thereof is present in about 95 wt.-%, and the amount of the process additive is present in about 5 wt-%, each on the basis of the total solids content of the composition to be granulated.
13 . A method according to claim 7 , wherein the particulate alkaline earth metal oxide or alkaline earth metal hydroxide is magnesium hydroxide.
14 . A method according to claim 7 , which is carried out in a pelletiser.
15 . A method according to claim 7 , wherein prior to granulating water is added to the mixture, either by admixture of water or by humidification with steam.
16 . A method of reducing the energy required to granulate an alkaline earth metal oxide, or an alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or a mixture thereof comprising the step of admixing talc to the said alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or mixture thereof.
17 . A granulated composition, obtained by a method of claim 7 .
18 . A granulated composition according to claim 4 , comprising about 10 wt.-% process additive and about 90 wt.-% particulate alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or mixtures thereof, based on the total solids content of the granulated composition.
19 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein the particulate alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or mixture thereof is present in about 90 wt.-%, and the amount of the process additive is present in about 10 wt.-%, each on the basis of the total solids content of the composition to be granulated.
20 . A granulated composition according to claim wherein the hydroxide is magnesium hydroxide.
21 . A method according to claim 7 , wherein the granulating requires from 5 kWh/t to 50 kWh/t.