Sulfur granule with improved crush strength
AssigneeTessenderlo Group NV
InventorsJoshua Randall Raymond, Harry Charles Kominski
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Abstract
The present invention relates to sulfur fertilizer granules having a sulfur content of at least about 90 wt. % and a crush strength of at least about 3.0 kgf. The present invention further relates to methods for the production of sulfur fertilizer granules by rotary drum granulation employing specific temperatures and water feed rates to achieve stable production of said sulfur fertilizer granules.
Claims22
A sulfur fertilizer granule comprising at least 90 wt. % (by total weight of the granule) of sulfur and having a crush strength of at least 3.0 kgf.
(canceled)
A method for the production of a sulfur fertilizer granule comprising the following steps:
- (a) providing a molten sulfur stream comprising at least 90 wt. % (by total weight of the molten sulfur stream) sulfur;
- (b) providing an aqueous cooling stream;
- (c) continuously feeding the molten sulfur stream of step (a) and the aqueous cooling stream of step (b) to a rotary drum granulator;
- (d) continuously rotating the rotary drum granulator, thereby continuously forming sulfur fertilizer granules;
- characterized in that
- the molten sulfur stream of step (a) is fed to the rotary drum granulator in step (c) at a temperature within the range of 130-145° C.;
- and
- the ratio B:A is in the range of 0.018 to 0.068 liter/kg,
- wherein A is the feed rate of the molten sulfur stream (a), expressed in kg/minute,
- wherein B is the feed rate of the aqueous cooling stream (b), expressed in liter/minute.
-28. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.