Oxidation process for producing potassium thiosulfate

Abstract

An efficient process for preparation of potassium thiosulfate (K2S2O3) is described. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) and elemental sulfur (S) are converted to potassium polysulfide, which is subsequently oxidized. The process allows using specifically designed process conditions such as mole ratios of potassium hydroxide to sulfur, and temperature, to obtain an optimized formulation of desired polysulfide, and a specifically designed set of conditions such as temperature, pressure, rate and duration of the oxidant during the oxidation conditions, to obtain a relatively high concentration of soluble potassium thiosulfate product with high purity, with relatively low amounts of byproducts. The manufacturing process can either be a batch process or a continuous process utilizing Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTR). The CSTR process is dependent on several design parameters, including pressure, and temperature optimization to avoid product instability. The resulting potassium thiosulfate is a beneficial fertilizer with high potassium content as a 50% liquid source of potassium.

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