Method for producing a crystalline solid from glycine-N, N-diacetic acid derivatives with sufficiently reduced hygroscopicity

A process for preparing a crystalline solid, the process comprising spray granulating an aqueous solution of a liquid raw material on a crystalline seed material to obtain the crystalline solid,

• wherein the crystalline seed material, the liquid raw material, and the crystalline solid each comprise a glycine-N,N-diacetic acid derivative of formula (I)
• wherein R is:
• a C1 to C30 alkyl or a C2 to C30 alkenyl, optionally having up to 5 substituents selected from a hydroxyl group, a formyl group, a C1 to C4 alkoxy group, a phenoxy group and a C1 to C4 alkoxycarbonyl group and optionally having up to 5 nonadjacent oxygen atoms;
• an alkoxylate moiety of formula (II)
• —(CH2)k—O-(A1O)m-(A2O)n—Y (II)
• in which A1 and A2 each independently are alkylene groups having 2 to 4 C atoms, Y is hydrogen, C1 to C12 alkyl, phenyl or C1 to C4 alkoxycarbonyl, k is 1, 2 or 3, and m and n are each integers of 0 to 50, a sum of m+n being at least 4;
• a phenylalkyl group having 1 to 20 C atoms in an alkyl part of the group;
• a five- or six-membered, unsaturated or saturated, heterocyclic ring having up to three heteroatoms from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, which may additionally be benzofused, it being possible for any phenyl ring and heterocyclic ring of R additionally to have up to three substituents selected from the group consisting of a C1 to C4 alkyl group, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, a sulfo group and a C1 to C4 alkoxycarbonyl group;
• or
• R is a radical of formula (III)
• where A is a C1 to C12 alkylene bridge or a chemical bond, and each M independently is hydrogen, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, ammonium or substituted ammonium in a corresponding stoichiometric amount.