The Compaction Process
The compaction process does not depend on material bridges but on molecular attraction (short-range van der Waals forces) and free chemical bonds for strong coherence.
Dry agglomerates bound solely by van der Waals forces are produced by bringing the largest portion of the surface area of very fine solid particles into intimate contact through compaction using roller presses operating under high pressure.
On all the solid surfaces freshly produced by crushing, free chemical bonds – so called valence forces – are present which become very quickly saturated with molecules from the surrounding atmosphere.
During compaction, such newly formed solid material surfaces are brought into contact with each other before becoming saturated and produce strong recombination bonds.
The compacted material comes out of the rollers in the form of waffle sheet or plank 15 – 20 mm thick. It is then crushed into smaller sizes and screened to the desired size range.
During crushing, all the softer parts of the aggloremates are destroyed yielding strongly abrasion-resistant granules.
Uniform Chemical Composition
In the screening plant, oversized particles are returned to the crusher while the undersized are returned to mix with the incoming raw materials for compaction.
For every tonne of finished product, three tonnes of fertilizers are circulating in the process stream resulting in a very uniform composition of the finished product.
Efficient & Versatile
Compared with conventional wet granulation processes which are economical only for large production run and thus limiting the variation in product formula, the compaction process is highly versatile for producing fertilizers to suit individual requirements in terms of formulation and granule sizes.
This is especially important where fertilizer recommendations have reached a high level of precision, as in the plantation sector in Malaysia.
Advantages of Compacted Compound Fertilizer
- Ammonium Sulphate-based compound fertilizer containing abundant supply of sulphur
- Uniform in chemical composition
- Large fertilizer granules enable minimal run-off
- Abbrasion-resistant granules can withstand handling without generating excessive fines
- pH Neutral