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The production of potassium hydroxide in Stassfurt has a long history. As far back as 1889, industrial production of potassium hydroxide began there – the first time such production took place in the world. East German potassium hydroxide products were exported around the world, where they were widely used in the production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, glass, and photographic materials. After several years of design and construction, the world’s most modern potash production line came online. 20,000 tons of the highest quality potassium hydroxide products are produced each year (with the global production amounting to 750,000 tons per year), using an advanced fluidized bed granulation system. This technology was developed by Stassfurt Kalikalien GmbH in Weimar, along with a group of experts in continuous fluidized bed processing from the universities of Magdeburg and Glatt Ingenieurtechnik. The latter is the general contractor for this 6.5 million euro turnkey greenfield project, which involves the company’s engineering, plant construction, and installation services, with support provided by various subcontractors. The factory has laboratories, offices, and specialized rooms covering 1,400 m2, a warehouse area of over 3,000 m2 and a production hall of 625 m2, as well as a plant area of 10,000 m2 that includes all processing equipment. Carbonization is also part of modernization efforts; these efforts also include the modernization of existing factories. Currently, these factories use potassium hydroxide and carbon dioxide to produce potassium hydroxide solutions. Carbon dioxide is extracted from the exhaust gases of the factory’s power plants. Using carbon dioxide in this way helps reduce the environmental impact of the equipment. Then, the potassium hydroxide solution is filtered, sprayed with particles, and cooled in a fluidized bed, before being conveyed to a vibrating screen via a conveyor belt. 2.5 tons of product per hour are conveyed by a set of hopper elevators to three 80m3 silos. This processing equipment eliminates the heavy physical labor performed by 22 employees and prevents them from inhaling dust. The core of this process is a continuous Glatt fluidized bed granulator, model GFG850, with a designed capacity of 2500 kg/h. The device features a bottom screen with a total area of 8.5 m2, which performs two processes: spraying particles and subsequent cooling. The spray particle system uses pneumatic and hydraulic nozzles alternately in its design. In this way, combined with the adjustment of process parameters, the new process achieves a high degree of adaptability, enabling it to meet customers’ requirements regarding product quality. Here are just a few examples: ■ Potassium hydroxide calcined with carbon having a purity of approximately 99.4% ; ■ Potassium hydroxide hydrated with carbon having a content of approximately 84.5%–85.0%, in various particle sizes such as 0.2–1.6 mm, 0.2–1.0 mm, and 0.2–2.0 mm, with a bulk density of 850 kg/m3 ; 900 kg/m3 ; 1200 kg/m3. The air in the process is cleaned by an internal filtration system, keeping all dust inside the granulator. When a pulsating back is used to clean the filter, dust falls back onto the fluidized bed and becomes part of the particles as a whole. The air used in the production of natural gas heaters has a temperature of 120–400°C. An exhaust heat exchanger recovers 980 kW when the fresh air temperature is 20°C, which equates to a 25% energy savings compared to conventional processes. Within the central control system of the process, there are 16 monitors at various viewing points that provide process control, including both on-site and remote control (Weimar). After starting up, full-load production was carried out to demonstrate the performance of the equipment. All the indicators specified in the contract, including output, product quality, and energy consumption, met the requirements. After the factory was handed over, Glatt’s process engineers helped establish the production processes for other products. They demonstrated to the local staff the factory’s capabilities and adaptability, enabling them to operate the factory without any support from Glatt Company.