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Applications of ultra-fine materials and industrial energy conservation

2009-04-09View Original

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Direct energy savings through ultra-fine powders: Ultra-fine materials generally refer to ultra-fine powders with a particle size of 5 microns or less, and they represent an emerging type of functional material. The fine-grained structure endows it with excellent physical, processing, and functional properties. Compared to traditional materials, it features high specific surface area and high surface activity, which gives it advantages such as energy savings and the ability to protect resources and the environment. I. Energy savings in the production process itself: The production process for ultra-fine powders employs an efficient approach that involves continuous operation, without the need for classification, and it combines drying and depolymerization in a single step. Compared to traditional powder production methods that involve intermittent operations, classification, drying, and depolymerization separately, this process has a shorter workflow. As a result, the heat energy consumption per ton of product is reduced by 1/2 to 1/3, while electricity consumption is reduced by 1/2 to 2/3, demonstrating significant energy-saving benefits. II. Energy savings in the production of user-made products – Ultra-fine powders are industrial raw materials that are widely used in industries such as papermaking, rubber, plastics, paints, coatings, petroleum, chemicals, aerospace, and optical fibers; they are regarded as… Due to their unique microscopic and surface properties, ultra-fine powders exhibit significant energy-saving effects when incorporated into the production process of end products; in addition, they also display special physical and chemical properties. For example, the melting point of ordinary metal W is 3000°C, whereas that of ultra-fine nanowire W is 800°C; this demonstrates its energy-saving benefits in the metallurgical casting industry. The papermaking industry is also a major energy consumer, which requires it to pursue an efficient and low-energy consumption approach. In terms of manufacturing processes, the rational use of ultra-fine powder materials as coating agents for paper can not only overcome the shortcomings of conventional coatings in terms of crystal structure, gloss, printability, ink absorption, and opacity, as well as the blistering phenomenon (which occurs when water cannot be removed quickly during rapid paper drying), but it also enables the creation of coating agents with a high solid content (greater than 75%). This results in about a 5% reduction in water content compared to traditional coating agents. As a result, heat energy is saved during the paper drying process. Moreover, it allows the speed of paper machines to increase from less than 400 meters per minute to over 1000 meters per minute, while also extending the service life of the coating blades and improving production efficiency. It is highly suitable for high-speed papermaking, and its energy-saving effects are of great significance to the papermaking industry. In rubber product manufacturing, the use of ultra-fine powders can increase the extrusion speed by more than 10%, reduce the vulcanization time by 2–3 minutes, improve production efficiency, and save electricity and heat energy. Over the past two decades, the production of plastic and rubber products has grown rapidly, resulting in a high demand for fillers. Meanwhile, with the development of the construction industry, plastics and profiles will gradually replace steel, which will undoubtedly increase the use of ultra-fine materials. In plastic and rubber processing, the use of ultra-fine materials can reduce processing time and energy consumption, thereby saving a significant amount of energy. In this sense, ultra-fine materials can also be referred to as energy-saving materials. Indirect energy savings through ultra-fine powders I. Polymer materials industry The production process of each product involves energy consumption; replacing high-energy-consuming products with those that require less energy is also a form of indirect energy savings. Commonly used ultra-fine powders, such as heavy calcium carbonate, wollastonite, and kaolin, require an energy consumption equivalent to electricity usage during their processing; this amount is generally between 150 and 300 kWh per tonne, which is much lower than the energy consumption associated with petrochemical products. Therefore, in the polymer materials industry, the more ultra-fine powders are used in rubber and plastic manufacturing, the lower the energy consumption of the resulting products, thereby contributing to energy savings. Most polymer materials derive from petrochemical products, and the extensive use of ultra-fine powders can reduce the amount of petrochemical products needed per ton of polymer composite materials, which is equivalent to saving a large amount of non-renewable petroleum resources. II. Biodegradable plastics: Internationally, incineration remains the primary method for dealing with plastic waste, which means that it is preferable to use as little resin as possible in the products, thereby reducing the amount of harmful gases generated. The more inorganic fillers there are, the better; however, as the amount of inorganic materials increases, the performance of the composite products **decreases**. Only by using ultra-fine powders can the performance of the products meet environmental requirements, and this quantitative standard requires that the content of inorganic fillers exceed 70%. III. Paper industry: The paper industry consumes large amounts of wood, damaging the ecological environment. The use of ultra-fine powders can reduce the amount of wood pulp in paper products, thereby saving a large amount of timber. On the other hand, developing a plastic sheet made from plastic and ultra-fine powder is also an effective way to replace wood pulp paper. Therefore, developing and promoting the use of ultra-fine materials in industry can not only improve the quality of products in related sectors but also reduce energy consumption per unit of product, thereby achieving an ideal balance between economic efficiency and technical performance and helping China’s domestic industries embark on a path of sustainable development.

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