How to powder KOH pallets?

[shankerm]

I've just scaled up a process that uses KOH pwder.

We purchase KOH pellets. Now this has to be "POWDERED".

Any suggesions ? I thought a ball mill would be a good choice, But we were told it dosent work ??

ANY SUGGESIONS PLEASE ?

Thankyou.

 

[orenda1168]

Shankerm:

Have you considered talking your KOH vendor into an exchange of your pellets for KOH powder? This may be the least expensive and the least hassle way of handling the problem.

Orenda

 

[unclesyd]

If you are using small lots here is a possible solution to using pellets.
I don't know if it's gotten any better but KOH powder had a very bad tendency to cake very easily and was very hard to use in our everyday operations so pellets were a great relief.
We solved the problem with the KOH pellets agglomerating on the bottom of our mix tanks and causing a local concentration and heating problem in the solution, by using a full mesh basket to hold the pellets while the mix tank was on circulation.
We used the same procedure on the NaOH system.
It was a SS wire mesh basket that held 25 lbs., one pail, and you could dump it all in at once with no danger of steam generation emptying the tank or if in a neutralization step having a local concentration problem..

 

[shankerm]

Well, thankyou Orenda and unclesyd, BUT MY PROCESS at any cost needs KOH powder and not pellets. NOW KOH powder has to be imported and getting it is a hassle.

So, we have no choice but to buy KOH pellets and powder them. So, I'am really looking for a solution to powder KOH pellets.

Thankyou !

 

[unclesyd]

Have you looked a pulverizing the material in process?

Check these people out. We used some micro-pulverizers made by one of the companies Hosokawa bought out. They have a tremendous range in capacity. There are also a lot of these type machines on the surplus markets.

http://www.hosokawa.com/global/03cbusiness/01ppp.htm

On any type pulverizing or grinding if a dry gas is needed to blanket the process be careful with using nitrogen I know of one local fatality using dry nitrogen on a pulverizer.

 

[IPGBen]

Shankerm,

have you given it a thought that maybe you can use KOH/water solution or any other solution?

Ben