Granulation, drying, coating

This field covers the mechanical and thermal granulation of solutions and suspensions for the manufacturing of granulates (10–5000 μm) with defined properties as drying product/ready-to-press granulate/spray powder/beads with homogeneous or gradient structures.

 

Products and services offered

 

• Selection and optimization of granulation aids (binder, plasticizer, lubricant)
  
• Drying and granulation of solutions and suspensions by spray drying or fluidized bed techniques with air or inert gas and under explosion-proof conditions
  
• Characterization and optimization of granules (bulk solids, single granules)
  
• Coating of disperse materials (> 50 µm)
  
• Layering granulation of disperse seeds
  
• Powder agglomeration in fluidized beds, jets and intensive mixers
  
• Complex process and bulk analyses
  
• Tests with customer material
  
• Transfer to production scale

 

Technical equipment

 

• Spray dryers in laboratory (2) and pilot scale (2) (air, inert gas, explosion-proof), NIRO A/S
  
• Fluidized bed system (granulation, coating, agglomeration), Glatt GmbH
  
• Spray freeze granulation (laboratory plant for composition development)
  
• Freeze dryer, vacuum drying chamber
  
• Intensive mixer (1 l tank for composition development, 5 l tank), Eirich GmbH
  
• Turbula mixer, Bachofen AG
  
• Vacuum rotary evaporator (composition development)
  
• Wet powder spraying equipment for planar and rotational symmetrical surfaces

 

Examples and references

 

• Granulation of highly disperse raw materials (bentonite, carbon black)
  
• Battery granulate (intensive mixer, compactor)
  
• Ceramic and hardmetal grinding balls (0,2–2 mm)
  
• Al₂O₃ grinding balls with sub-μm microstructure for the deagglomeration of nanoparticles
  
• Development of ZnO sorbents (hollow ball structure) for gas cleaning
  
• Technology for the manufacturing of polycrystalline materials
  
• Development of catalyst structures (homogeneous/gradient)