Background:
Turkey is approximately 72% of the world’s boron sources.
Colemanite, tincal, ulexite and pandermite are among the most significant in Turkey. Boron
compounds and minerals are widely used in many industrial fields.
Objective:
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the control of impurities in
the boric acid production process using colemanite by carrying out the reaction with a mixture
of CO2 and SO2 - water, and determining the appropriate process conditions to develop
a new process as an alternative to the use of sulfuric acid. Due to worrying environmental
problems, intensive studies are being carried out globally to reduce the amount of CO2 and
SO2 gases released to the atmosphere.
Methods:
The Taguchi method is an experimental design method that minimizes the product
and process variability by selecting the most appropriate combination of the levels of
controllable factors compared to uncontrollable factors.
Results:
It was evaluated the effects of parameters such as reaction temperature, solid-to
liquid ratio, SO2/CO2 gas flow rate, particle size, stirring speed and reaction time. The optimum
conditions determined to be reaction temperature of 45°C; a solid–liquid ratio of
0.083 g.mL−1; an SO2/CO2 ratio of 2/2 mL.s−1; a particle size of -0.354+0 .210 mm; a mixing
speed of 750 rpm and a reaction time of 20 min.
Conclusion:
Under optimum operating conditions, 96.8% of colemanite was dissolved. It
is thought that the industrial application of this study will have positive effects on the
greenhouse effect by contributing to the reduction of CO2 and SO2 emissions that cause
global warming.
Numerical Simulations of Molten Breakup Behaviors of a de Laval-Type Nozzle, and the Effects of Atomization Parameters on Particle Size Distribution