balestra det

Technologies

Technologies, Raw Materials and Products for Surfactant and Detergent Industry

Technologies for Surfactants SULPHUREX Desmet Ballestra’s SULPHUREX film sulphonation technology presents outstanding advantages over the competing processes, namely:

superior performance in terms of product quality, especially when sensitive raw materials are processed •exceptionally good conversion rate and colour with maximum achievable absorption of SO3 gas •simpler construction which entails easier maintenance •lower operating pressure •no extra cooling requirements and nor the need of chilling water equipment •extra low energy consumption •

Desmet Ballestra has implemented the world’s largest sulphonation plants (24.000 Kg/h as 100% active surfactant) and is constantly optimizing its process through the continuous work of its R&D Centre. Particularly it has developed proprietary Know-How and processes for surfactant upgrading downstream the sulphonation process, i.e.: Dioxane stripping and Drying process for pure dry surfactant production. Desmet Ballestra can offer standard plant design for capacities ranging from 1 to 8 ton/hr and customized design for larger capacities. Listed below are the main features of the process sections of a Desmet Ballestra SULPHUREX plant Process Air Drying The atmostheric air is compressed up to 0,6 Kg/cm2 as requested by the downstream sulphonation process. The compressed air is dried by refrigeration condensation of the water contained in the atmospheric air and subsequent absorption takes place by means of a dessicant bed.

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Main features of the unit:

Low operating pressure design (0,7 Kg/cm2 max.) •Process Air Dew Point lower than -70°C •Fully automatic regeneration of absorbent medium (silicagel/Al2O3) •Low energy consumption due to the recovery of the hot air from SO3 production unit for absorbent medium regeneration

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High reliability and efficiency •

SO3 Production Liquid sulphur is burned with the process air in a special furnace to produce a gas containing 7% by volume of SO2. The SO2 is then converted to SO3 in a special conversion tower equipped with 4 catalyst beds and intercoolers to optimize cynetically and thermodynamically the reaction yield. The SO3 gas is finally cooled to 50-60°C as requested by the sulphonation process. Main features of the unit:

Very high reaction yield : 98,5% guaranteed and possibility to achieve 99,5% with the use of special Cesium catalyst

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High reliability, safety and long plant lifetime due to the use of air as a cooling medium, instead of water, to minimize corrosion risks

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Special design of sulphur furnace (no preheating burner nor sulphur spraying system) ensuring high operating reliability and easiness

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High energetic efficiency thanks to the use of hot cooling air for silicagel regeneration in the Air Drying Unit

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Very compact design of the conversion tower with internal intercooler •Reduced plant start-up time due to a special sulphur furnace which does not require preheating

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Sulphonation Unit The SO3 gas outcoming the SO3 production unit is filtered by a special high efficiency brink filter to eliminate any trace of carried-over oleum. Then is fed to the top of the Multitube Falling Film sulphonation reactor where also the organic raw material is fed under mass flow control. The reaction of SO3 gas with the organic raw material takes place in the MTFR. At the outlet of the reactor the gas/liquid mixture is separated in a special gas/liquid separator and in a downstream gas cyclone. The sulphonic acid is sent to a special ageing/stabilizing unit when Linear Alkylbenzene is processed, or straight to the neutralization unit when Fatty Alcohol or Ethoxylated Fatty Alcohol are processed. Main features of the unit:

Product quality meeting the highest international standards •High operating flexibility thanks to the capability to process any raw material used in detergent and surfactant industry

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High reliability and operation easiness •Automatic in-line control of sulphonation degree •Low energy demand thanks to the low pressure drop of the MTFR •Optimized design achieved through over 300 industrial Film Sulphonation plants implemented and operative worldwide •

Main features of the Desmet Ballestra’s Multitube Film Sulphonation reactor

Outstanding results in terms of product quality •Very high heat transfer efficiency that enables an accurate control of the temperature profile in the reactor •Low pressure drop (0,3 Kg/cm2 average) resulting in a reduced energy consumption of the whole sulphonation plant •Once through design. The sulphonation reaction is accomplished within the residence time of the reactants in the reactor (less than 1 minute) without need of external recycling loop. This enables the automatic in-line control of the sulphonation degree through the reactor

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no extra cooler requirements and no need of chilling water equipment •High flexibility with possibility of product flying change-over with minimum product contamination •Operation easiness •Easy scale-up of the reactor as all distribution heads and reaction tubes are identical. Scale-up is achieved simply increasing the number of reaction tubes with practically no limitations on reactor size and capacity

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High reliability and longer lifetime thanks to the use of sophisticated corrosion resistant alloys for critical parts •

NEUTREX Neutralising Single or double-step neutralization unit for high active surfactant paste production. The sulphonic acid outcoming the sulphonation unit is neutralized with caustic soda or an alternative alkaline agent (i.e.: Ammonia) in a special Double Step Neutralization Unit or, specifically for Ether Sulphates processing, in a Vacuum Neutralization Unit to yield high active neutral paste (70-75% concentration). In both cases the neutralization process is carried out at high pH values to guarantee the necessary chemical stability to the reaction mass. Final product pH value is adjusted in-line by addition of a buffering agent in a final mixer. Advantages of Desmet Ballestra Double Step Neutralization Technology

High shear mixers of Desmet Ballestra proprietary design, ensuring intimate mixing of reactants even at high concentration conditions

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Accurate control of the temperature profile in the loop thanks to the high recycling rate and the low pressure drop cooler so to prevent any risk of product degradation

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Easy in-line transition from low concentration (27-30%) to high concentration (70-75%) paste production Accurate control of free alkalinity

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VACUUM NEUTRALIZATION



Direct neutralization of sulphonic acids in a wiped film evaporator for the production of top quality, deaerated and « dioxane-free » ethoxysulphate paste as well as the neutralization of all the other anionic sulfactants. The sulphonic acid outcoming from the sulphonation unit is neutralized with caustic soda or an alternative alkaline agent (i.e.: Ammonia) in a special Double Step Neutralization Unit or, specifically for Ether Sulphates processing, in a Vacuum Neutralization Unit to yield high active neutral paste (70-75% concentration). In both cases, the neutralization process is carried out at high pH values to guarantee the necessary chemical stability to the reaction mass. Final product pH value is adjusted in-line by addition of a buffering agent in a final mixer. Major advantages of the Desmet Ballestra Vacuum Neutralization Technology

Efficient Dioxane removal from the finished product by evaporation of the azeotropic mixture water/dioxane •Possibility to achieve dioxane content in finished product (SLES) below 10 ppm when coupled with the Desmet Ballestra MTFR •Product deaeration to increase density and improve appearance (transparency) •Mild operating conditions with accurate control of temperature profile and minimum residence time of the product at high temperature so as to prevent any risks of hydrolysis

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High flexibility: capability to process any kind of raw material/product, with possibility of easily switching from one raw material to a different one with minimum product contamination

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DRYEX drying Drying unit for the production of pure anionic surfactants in dry form and different physical shapes (flakes, needles, powder and granules) in accordance with the most stringent quality standards. The unit is based on the use of wiped film evaporators specifically designed and developed for this application. Major advantages of the Desmet Ballestra drying technology are:

Very high heat transfer coefficient that ensures the achievement of the desired product dryness in a very short time so to minimize the time of performance of the product at high temperature and, therefore the risk of product degradation.

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Very accurate control of the wall temperature to prevent local overheating of the surfactant.•Mechanical design with wiping blades that ensure a constant and uniform flow of the product through the evaporator preventing accumulation of product inside the machine and, therefore, product degradation due to overheating.

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ETHOXYLATION / PROPOXYLATION Plant for the production of a wide range of non-ionic surfactants based on the condensation of EO/PO with organic substrates. Desmet Ballestra has developed for many years a safe, cost effective, flexible know-how for the design and supply of ethoxylation plants for the production of a large number of non-ionic surfactants, using all main raw materials such as:

fatty alcohols•nonylphenols•fatty amines•fatty acids•alkylol - amides•castor oil•glicerides•

Desmet Ballestra know-how covers the design and operation of the ethoxylation plant from the ethylene (propylene) oxide handling, up to the final products flaking and finishing. Desmet Ballestra makes also available an extensive know how on products formulation, application and marketing. Desmet Ballestra ethoxylation technology has been applied in several plants installed worldwide some of which are successfully in operation for more than 15 years. Ethoxylation capacity of the plants supplied by Desmet Ballestra ranges from pilot plant size up to 100,000 Tons per year with up to 12 reactors operating in parallel and making different products. The ethoxylated products can contain in the molecule a number of moles of ethylene oxide ranging from one to hundreds and they are used for a wide range of application such as:

Detergent and cosmetic industry •Oil-drilling and recovery•Fiber treatment •Industrial lubrication•Waste water treatment •Textile auxiliaries•Leather industry •Polymerization aids•

The typical ethoxylation plant configuration is composed of the following sections:

Ethylene (and propylene) oxide storage area•Ethoxylation (propoxylation) reaction•Product finishing/flaking•Tank farm (raw materials final & intermediate products)•Exhaust gas treatment•Fire-fighting system•Utilities (steam generation,cooling water system, compressed air, nitrogen)•Computer control system and emergency shut-down system•

MULTIPURPOSE A Multipurpose unit for condensation, sulphonation and neutralization reactions and production of toluene/xylene/cumene suphonic acid



and their correspondent neutral salts (STS, SXS, SCS) and specialty surfactants (ie. Normal and superalkanolamides, alkyl-betaines, amido alkyl-betaines, sulpho-succinates, phosphate-esters and aminoxydes) starting from Fatty Acids and/or Methylesters.

ME Continuous process for the production of Sulphonation grade hydrogenated and distilled Methylesters.

WHITEX Plant for the production of technical and medicinal grade white oils, insulating oils, such as transformer oil and petrosulphonates, using SO3 gas.

HEAVY ALKILATE SULPHONATES Plant for the production of synthetic oil soluble sulphonates

Technologies for Powder Detergents Introduction The Desmet Ballestra technology for the production of detergent powder is unrivalled, as proven by more than 550 plants installed under Ballestra’s proprietary design and know-how all over the world as since 1960. As a matter of fact, the Desmet Ballestra plants are estimated to cover significative part of the world's production of synthetic powder detergents. A permanent and qualified research staff is dedicated to improve the technology by optimizing the existing processes and developing new ones in the laboratories and pilot plants installed at our Milan headquarters. The close collaboration with researchers and scientists of University boards, environmental organizations, Scientific Committees, multinational companies, etc. as well as the exchange of information at the main international congresses and seminars on detergency, which Desmet Ballestra is attending with reports and papers, have contributed to increase the significant technological knowledge of our Company enabling it to meet the specific requirements of the worldwide manufacturers of detergent products. The extensive experience and know-how in detergent plants operation also allows Desmet Ballestra to assist Clients to better define their requirements in terms of production programs, training of operators, raw material purchasing, product formulation and packaging etc. so contributing to the best success of new projects. New raw materials coming on the market are carefully studied and tested, to define the best plant operating conditions in terms of product formulation and process optimization. The physico-chemical characteristics of detergent powders to be produced are studied to identify the optimum product characteristics in order to meet local washing habits and specific market requirements. Great importance is given to environmental pollution control. Each plant designed by Desmet Ballestra is conceived to avoid liquid effluents, while the exhaust gases are treated to comply with the most stringent international specifications, thus allowing the installation of plants even close to urban areas. Special care is given to energy saving and to reduce the overall fuel and electric power requirements.For large plants capacities, whenever required by local conditions, Desmet Ballestra has also studied and implemented co-generation systems based on the use of gas turbines to produce electric power, and on the use of relevant hot exhaust gases in the spray tower to substantially increase the overall plant efficiency. The great flexibility of Desmet Ballestra plants, together with the flexibility of processing different raw materials and producing a wide range of formulations, make Desmet Ballestra spray drying plants able to meet even the most sophisticated market requirements. Plants standard capacities range from 1000 to 30.000 Kg/h. Each plant is designed taking into account the possibility of substantial future increase of production capacity with limited investment cost.

DOSEX Dosing, Slurry Preparation and Pumping The required characteristics of the slurry can be achieved both by continuous and by batch system, in all cases, the exact weight of each single component is provided (in batch system by weighing cycles, while in continuous system by means of independent dosing devices for each component). The improvement, nowadays achieved in accuracy of dosing, is mainly derived from the adoption of computerised control systems tailored on purpose (and applied to both continuous and batch system). In the Continuous Slurry Preparation system, solid and liquid ingredients are individually and automatically dosed by means of electronic scales operating over variable weighing cycles, in accordance to product recipes and plant production capacity. The proportioned ingredients are continuously fed to the slurry crutcher. In the Batch Slurry Preparation system the (pre)-weighed amounts of solid and liquid ingredients are fed to the slurry-crutcher (a high speed mixer specially designed for fine dispersion and perfect homogenization of the mixture). Various options for raw materials weighing/dosing, with or without intermediate dedicated dosing hoppers, are available according to plant capacity and number of components to be incorporated in the product formulation. The use of the latest generation load cells (both for liquid and solid component weighing) allows a high accuracy (up to 0.1%) and simplification in the plant configuration. From the crutcher, in both systems, the slurry is transferred to an ageing vessel, where it is further homogenized over a controlled residence time, fixed to achieve the ideal hydration degree of inorganic salts (mainly STPP) foreseen by the recipe. The concentrated, viscous slurry, is fed through magnetic traps followed by special self cleaning filters designed to remove any possible solid particles which could damage or clog the pumps and the spray nozzles. The peculiar mechanical features of the slurry crutcher, filter and pumps allow operation with a solid content in the slurry up to 70-72% with consequent benefit for the global process economy.



Booster pumps (of positive displacement type) feed the slurry at controlled pressure to special high pressure pumps. These pumps are specifically designed by Desmet Ballestra to handle viscous and abrasive slurries at a pressure up to 100 bar and to keep it constant at the required preset value. Desmet Ballestra’s high pressure pumps have a capacity ranging from 6.000 l/h to 27.000 l/h and they are designed for long lasting and maintenance free operation with high solid content abrasive slurry.

SABIZ Spray Drying Spray-drying plant for the production of detergent powders of low and medium density, covering the full range of commercial formulations including a post addition of thermosensible components, up to powder packaging. The slurry is pumped to a spray nozzles circuit installed in the upper part of the spray tower. The size and number of nozzles depends on the plant capacity and required product granulometry. The spray is generally of the hollow cone type and nozzle size generally varies in diameter from 3 to 5 mm with a spray angle in a range of 50-70°. In the spray tower the special design of the hot air distribution chamber allows operation with high differential temperatures i.e.: hot air inlet temperature up to 400-450°C, exhaust air outlet temperature down to 85-90°C with consequent optimum thermal efficiency. The optimization of the design of hot-air inlet ducts and the design and positioning of slurry distribution nozzles result in overall improvement of the drying path through the Spray-Tower. This fact, together with the increase of solid matter content in the slurry and the increase of hot-air temperature, results in increased evaporation efficiency of the Spray-Tower. All the operating conditions are automatically adjusted by setting the proper parameters of fuel feeding, air flow, slurry concentration and all pressures/temperatures at the required optimum value, for controlled heat and mass balance of the process. The characteristics of the powder beads are largely determined by direction, velocity and temperature of the hot air stream. The hot air is generated in furnaces purposely designed to obtain smokeless combustion. The most commonly available fuels (ranging from natural gas to heavy fuel oils), can be utilized without causing inconveniences nor affecting the whiteness of the finished products. The hot air is conveyed to the lower part of the spraying tower. Two fans, determining the pressure conditions of the air circuit, are installed for regulation of the air-flow passing through the tower. By means of this circuit the hot air is conveyed via a special distribution ring located at the bottom and from there up to the top of the tower coming into contact countercurrently with the slurry spray falling down from the top.

The detergent powder with bulk density in the range of 200-450 g/l, is discharged from the tower at a temperature of 60-70°C and is transferred by means of a belt, to a continuous crystallization unit (air-lift), where it is conveyed upward by a flow of ambient air that cools it down so completing the drying and initiating the particles surface crystallization. By this way the product is also lifted up to such a height as to allow the next operations by a gentle gravity-discharge avoiding as much as possible any breaking of the hollow beads. Both the drying and transport air are sucked through sleeve filters before being discharged to the atmosphere. The separated fines are reblown into the spray tower, close to the slurry spraying zone, so as to fully recover them by agglomeration with the slurry droplets. The detergent powder finally collected in the air-lift bottom cone are discharged into a sieve to remove any coarse agglomerated/wet material before eventual post addition, perfuming and packaging. The coarse material from the sieve is reprocessed via a separate dry or wet mixing/milling directly into the slurry preparation step. The base powder obtained by the steps of spray-drying and subsequent product conditioning doesn’t contain those components that, due to their chemical characteristics, are sensitive to increased temperatures and consequently have to be incorporated into the powder recipe in a way that preserves their chemical and physical structure. The step of Post-Addition of these components is performed in a special Rotary Blender where the base powder and the thermosensitive component (both solids and liquids), are gently and intimately mixed and agglomerated, so resulting in a final product having

characteristics of regular shape, high flowability and chemical stability / homogeneity. The configuration of the post-addition unit can be very different according to the specific requirements of the final powder formulation and plant capacity. For high production rates a continuous unit is recommended, which can be configured similarly to what is foreseen for the COMBEX section (Spray-Drying plus Agglomeration) SABIZ process control The SABIZ plant is operated by a Computer Control System “CCS” specifically designed for reliable and performing operations with an easy to use and friendly operator interface. The computer control system ensures a trouble free plant operation with the automatic control of all the critical process parameters. It also guarantees a high dosing accuracy and therefore the accuracy and consistency of the product formulations. Moreover, the computer control system reduces to a minimum labour requirements for plant operation. Up to 100 different preset formulations can be stored in the computer memory and the system automatically adjusts all process parameters and dosing devices to achieve the final formulation selected by the operator. The CCS is built using the most advanced architecture that includes a PLC for process and production data control. The PLC is foreseen for digital and analog signals handling and it is provided with one or more CPU, designed to make all controls (PID loops, data acquisition, alarming, interlocks, sequences, etc.) by programmable logic. The supervisory system based on PC establishes a “friendly interface” with the operator, through an animated process video screen-layout, diagrams, trends, list of process variable figures, operators entry windows, etc.



The PC will run the Windows NT Workstation operating system and Logoview NT HMI/SCADA package.

NTD Agglomeration A Non Tower Detergent powders production plant based on proprietary agglomeration technology, also based on the special Kettemix reactor, for the production of medium-high density detergent powders A new NTD Non Tower Detergent production technology, based on the KETTEMIX reactor/granu-lator, has been developed by Ballestra to meet the worldwide market requirements for detergent powder production with reduced energy demand and manufacturing costs, without limitation to the physical, chemical and performance characteristics of the products. Ballestra’s know-how for the manufacture of high quality detergent powder and its unique expertise achieved with the supply of more than 550 spray drying plants all over the world have merged into the design of this reliable, easy to operate NTD plant. The Ballestra NTD process is based on the principle of agglomeration between solid and liquid components. The process includes the following steps:

-Solid and liquid raw materials handling and dosing •-Dry neutralization and agglomeration in the Kettemix reactor •-Product drying/cooling in fluidized bed conditioner •-Post addition of thermo-sensitive components •-Detergent powder sieving, perfuming and distribution to packaging •

The process equipment can be sized for production capacities from 2 to 20 t/h of detergent powder. In case of a plant capacity over 5 t/h, the dosing of solid components can be performed by a fully automatic continuous dosing system, while for lower capacities, the solid components are continuously fed to the process after batch type pre-mixing. Benefits and Advantages Limited Investment costs High production flexibility in terms of powder formulation and physical characteristics, namely

total active matter content: up to 35%•powder bulk density: 400 to 1,000 gr/lt (by using particular components)•

Low energy consumption Ease of operation with limited manpower requirements Low installation costs

reduced transportation cost•short assembly time•limited building requirements•the plant is designed for housing under shed over a concrete floor•

Negligible environmental impact No gaseous nor aqueous effluents

COMBEX Combined Spray-Drying and Agglomeration Combined spray drying and agglomeration plant for the production of high active detergent powders at controlled density. Due to the specific features of the Spray Drying plant and the operating conditions, particularly referred to the profile of temperature in the tower, it has always been a problem to produce formulated powders rich in Non Ionic surfactants and with final medium-high bulk density. This problem can be easily overcome by coupling the Spray Drying process with an Agglomeration unit, so assuring consistent advantages both in terms of product characteristics and economy of operation. The main advantage of this combination is the capability to produce concentrated powders of medium to high bulk density by using the best features of the two basic process operations.



In terms of process duty, Spray-Drying is used to include almost all the amount of anionic surfactant to be incorporated in the formulation, while the subsequent step of Agglomeration is required for a Non Ionic surfactant addition and for physical modifications of the final product (namely: increase of bulk density and flowability). In the Desmet Ballestra COMBEX Unit (Combined Spray-Drying and Agglomeration process) the base powder is fed together with other solid components to a high-shear mixer (Kettemix Reactor) where liquid ingredients (like Non Ionic, Polymer solution or Na2SiO3 solution) are dosed. The solid and liquid components are agglomerated and the product formulation is completed for what concerns the surfactants content. The agglomerated product from the above step is further processed in a low-shear mixer where minor quantities of solid are added as coating agents. The combination of the mechanical work supplied by the mixers and the addition of solid (and sometimes liquid) components results in a granulation effect of the product. In other words, the particles are densified and made more regular, while the further coating with solids assures free-flowness due to the non-contact of sticky particles. The final step of the addition of thermosensitive components (such as perborate, bleach-activators, enzymes, perfume) and final sieving are performed in a rotary blender of the same type used in traditional Spray-Drying Plants. The particular characteristics of the different mixers used for the above purpose, offer several advantages like:

increase of the ratio of post-added components vs. the base spray-dried powder (with consequent increase of overall production capacity)

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increase of the total achievable level of active matters (range and types) in the finished products•possibility to control the final bulk density by factors like:•

- ratio of product from tower and post added component

- mixers speed

- sequence of addition of the components

In any case, the most outstanding effects derived from the combined Spray-Drying and Agglomeration process are:

the possibility to increase the non-ionics percentage in formula•the modification of physical characteristics of the beads (manly density and average dimensions)•the possibility to consistently increase the global product output•

The possibility to produce a wide range of detergent powders rich in active ingredients (namely more efficient than traditional products) with reduced energy consumption increases the overall profitability of the plant The COMBEX process also offers the possibility of increasing the capacity and the productivity of existing and already depreciated spray-towers with limited investment cost.

Powders with high bulk density (650-800 g/l), high active content (25-40%) and moisture content of 5-10% can be obtained by the COMBEX system.

DRYMEX Dry neutralization Dry neutralization and granulated detergent production plant based on batch mixing/agglomeration technology

LIDET Technologies for Liquid Detergents The liquid form for household detergents is gaining market share in many world markets particularly for dish washing and light-duty applications. Moreover, the personal care products in liquid form have a substantial share of the market and can be manufactured in the same plants as liquid detergents. For this reason, whenever reference is made to liquid detergents, it is meant to refer also to personal care products. Independently on the type of liquid detergents or personal care products and their specific targeted uses, the manufacturing of liquid detergents should be based on processes, equipment and operation sequences in compliance with the chemical and physical demands of these products. The formulated liquid detergent, where the various components have to be "incorporated", has to be stable. This target is accomplished when all the formulation components are properly selected and their introduction into the product recipe is such as to avoid a strong variation to temperature, pH and viscosity, as well as undesired chemical reactions. In other words, the manufacturing of liquid detergents requires high care in constituting stable and strong “micelles” distributed into the liquid product. This is commonly perceived as "product homogeneity". What is required for a liquid detergent, independent of its task and specific application, can be summarised as follows:

Outstanding global performance•Nice appearance (colour and degree of transparency)•Controlled viscosity•Stability vs. storage time, temperature and light effects•

The manufacturing of liquid detergents should be based on a good knowledge of the chemistry and rheology of the detergent components and the capability to control and to modify their interactions. Suitable and appealing packaging is also of great importance.The manufacturing of all types of liquid detergents involves the steps indicated in this scheme: The production of liquid detergents requires processing equipment capable to cope with the following demands:

Possibility to process fluids in a wide range of viscosity (up to 5-6000 mPa.sec)•Possibility to use alcoholic solvents (necessity of explosion-proof design)•Easy coupling with a Computerised Process Control System•High resistance and corrosion-proof construction materials (stainless steel and special alloys)•Capability to provide high heat-transfer rate (for both cooling and heating)•Capability to provide intimate and constant mixing•Possibility to correct pH, viscosity and temperature (by specific devices)•Possibility of fast and simple cleaning (to reduce product change-over time) without risk of contamination•

Ballestra has developed the LIDET Technology for the production of Liquid Detergents, offering a wide range of plant capacities and the choice of two different process routes (Batch or Continuous), in order to cope with the specific client production requirements.



Regardless of the type of process route, the Ballestra LIDET Plants allow the production of Liquid Detergents whose application properties and physical characteristics are summarised here below:

DUTY

Fabric Washing Dish Washing Personal Care Product Hard – Surface cleansers Industrial/Specific DetergentManual Washing Manual Washing Shampoos Car WashingSoaking Liquids Conditioner Bottle Washing

Automatic Washing Bath Foam Floor WashingSoftners

Windows Cleaners

PRODUCT SHAPE

Transparent LiquidsPearlescent Liquids

Transparent GelsOpaque Gels

VISCOSITY

Liquid 100 – 1000 mPa.sGels

1500 – 5000 mPa.s

Liquid Detergent Production by Batch-Process The discontinuous process for liquid detergent production is based on a stainless steel reactor mounted on a load cell with high efficiency stirrer and external coil for accurate and fast temperature control. The design principle of the batch operation ensures high flexibility and extended automation in performing the production cycle. The high flexibility allows quick and frequent product changeover with the possibility to modify the range/quantity of the components. Proper automation of the batch-cycle, supported by field-instrumentation, will assure high production yields and optimised equipment utilisation. A number of reactors can be installed in parallel whenever required by the production program so as to dedicate each reactor to specific/similar compatible product formulations. Independently on the size and plant configuration, the Batch Process illustrated above, operates as follows:

The main components like Anionic Surfactants, Non-Ionic Surfactants, Solvents and Neutralizing Agents are dosed in a predetermined ratio to the stirred reactor by on/off valves actuated by the weight control of the reactor.

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Depending on the selected product formula, the sequence of components addition is automatically prepared by the Computer Control System that also determines and sets the optimum stirring speed in the reactor.

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This stirred reactor is designed and powered to avoid product aeration and to intimately mix fluids with a viscosity in the range of 100-5000 mPa.sec

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The addition of minor components is made in the same manner or, depending on the required quantity, by pre-weighing and adding them by automatic or manual loading to the reactor.

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Once all the components have been added, the control system checks the temperature, pH and viscosity of the fluid mixture. If needed, additional component are fed into the reactor to correct the physical characteristic of the product or to stabilise the temperature at the desired value.

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Upon completion of all the components addition and chemico-physical stabilisation, the product is transferred to an intermediate storage vessel. This tank is complete with an ejector and external recirculation pump to ensure additional mixing without air entrainment. From the intermediate storage tank, the product is then finally transferred through a finishing filter (designed to remove insoluble particles larger than 50 microns) to the storage tanks from where it is sent to filling lines.

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Usually the batch-cycle lasts for 2-3 hours and the size of the stirred reactor may vary between 3 and 25 m3, resulting (for each production line) in an equivalent hourly production capacity in the range of 1 to 7 tons/hour. Continuous Process for Liquid Detergent Production The working principle of this plant foresees the in-line and intimate mixing of all the components inside a forced loop where the freshly added components are dispersed into a stream of product recirculated at a larger rate than the added stream of components. The mixing is ensured by a multi-stage pump and a specially designed high-shear mixer. This assures very efficient and constant mixing, homogenisation and temperature control obtained through a proper heat exchanger. Due to the short residence-time of the product inside the mixing loop, it is of utmost importance to provide accurate and prompt measure and correction of the pH. A double pH-meter, acting on different component flows, is fitted at the outlet of the high-shear mixer, just before the final heat exchanger for the control of the temperature of the product before being sent to final storage and ultimately to the filling lines. Production viscosity is continuously controlled by an in-line viscometer connected with the dosing system of specific components added as rheology-modifiers. Both the batch and continuous processing routes allow the production of a wide variety of liquid formulations. The choice between the two depends mainly on the required production capacity and the range of product to be manufactured. A simplified and indicative comparison of the of the two systems is shown here below: in general a Continuous Process is appropriate for a high production capacity and limited number of products, while the batch process with the option of multiple parallel lines is best suited for lower capacities (up to 5 t/hr) and for manufacturers that plan to produce a wide range of products and need frequent product



changeover. Liquid Detergent Production

Comparison Batch vs. Continuous Process

The Ballestra LIDET plants, either based on Discontinuous or Continuous Process route, offer the following advantages:

Wide Range of Production Capacity•Automatic Operation (Computerized Control)•Reduced Area for their Installation•No environmental Emission•High Production Flexibility•Guarenteed Production Consistency•Possibility to Neutralize Acidic (Actives) Components•

When planning a liquid detergent factory, the process unit indeed represents only a small, even if very important, part of the overall installation; Desmet Ballestra is in the position of providing the overall know how necessary to correctly plan the new factory which is of critical importance to optimise the investment, thus avoiding bottlenecks (which are very frequent in these factories) and to allow a rational flow of the raw materials, of the intermediate / finished products and of the packaging materials.

SINTEX Technologies for Detergent Bars Production of synthetic detergent bars for laundry and toiletry use bars by Mixing/Extrusion technologies.

Technologies for Organic and Inorganic Chemicals Organic Chemicals LAB (Linear Alkylbenzene) The plant uses UOP Detal new process technology. The LAB product quality will be suitable for the manufacture of top quality anionic surfactants. The process feedstock are Linear-paraffins (n-paraffins), typically in the C10-C13 carbon range, and Benzene. UOP, in conjunction with Ballestra, has developed the 30 KMTA LAB plant standard design so as to minimise the capital investment of the plant while maintaining the same performance guarantees. Ballestra and UOP have worked together to standardise the engineering design and to competitively source the equipment to further reduce the capital cost. The plant uses the UOP DetalTM process which is the most modern Alkylation technology:The main advantages of DetalTM technology are:

1) Excellent LAB product quality.

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2) Excellent overall plant performance in terms of safety and environmental impact.•

Conventional technologies, (which are Hydrofluoric Acid or Aluminum Chloride Alkylation), require special acid resistant units and acid treatments. The waste production in the conventional technologies are considerable and need to be treated or displaced during plant operation.



The production cost of the Detal process, in terms of raw materials consumption, is better than conventional technologies.The overall economics show that the 30 KMTA LAB plant is the best choice for the regional LAB producers who do not wish to build an integrated paraffin/LAB complex.The standard plant is sized to produce 30 KMTA of LAB, which corresponds to the required feedstock for the production of approximately 40 KMTA of LABS sulphonic acid. This quantity is consistent with the sulphonic acid requirement for 200 - 250 KMTA production of detergent powder, which corresponds to the yearly consumption of approximately 20 - 25 million people in a developed country or 30 - 40 million people in a developing country. Therefore, the plant size is the most appropriate especially for areas where LAB is presently imported. The main process units of the plant are:

N-paraffins dehydrogenation process unit (Pacol)•N-olefins purification and n-olefins Alkylation units (PEP-Detal) •

LINEAR ALKYL BENZENE PRODUCTIONPLANT BLOCK DIAGRAM AND OVERALL MATERIAL BALANCE

CMC (Carboxymethyl Cellulose) Desmet Ballestra has the technology available for production of Carboxymethyl Cellulose, starting from cellulose for food, detergent, oil drilling and agriculture application.

Starch & Yeast Production of various types glucose of starch & yeast and glucose (maltose, dextrose, fructose) starting from maize, corn, etc.

Inorganic Chemicals Aluminium Sulphate Plant for the production of aluminium sulphate by direct reaction of aluminium oxyde and sulphuric acid.

Aluminium Fluoride Plant for the production of aluminium fluoride from aluminium hydroxyde and HF (Fluorsid license).

Sodium Silicate Desmet Ballestra's experience in the design of surfactants, detergents and chemical plants has been applied in the design of a very compact and reliable plant for the production of sodium silicate solution, as described hereinafter.The plant uses silica sand and commercial caustic soda solution as raw materials. While the process steps are relatively simple, the production of good quality, transparent, sodium silicate solution and the trouble free, low maintenance plant operation require a specific know how. Ballestra has acquired this experience and has already supplied many sodium silicate plants of different capacities and using different types of silica sand all over the world.The sodium silicate plays a very important role in the formulation of synthetic detergents for its property to suspend soil in solution and to prevent subsequent re-deposition on clothes.



Besides the water softening effect by the formation of precipitates which can be easily rinsed out by water, sodium silicate has wetting and emulsifying properties, especially on glass and glazed surfaces, making it particularly suitable for use in dishwashing formulations. No other alkalis commonly used in detergents have a buffering action as good as sodium silicate. Finally, it effectively inhibits the corrosion of stainless steel and aluminum by synthetic detergents and complex phosphates. Sodium silicate is therefore one of the most important components in the synthetic detergent powder formulations; its content in detergent formulations may reach 10% and it is used in form of water solution at various dry-matter content in the formulated detergent production process. The importance of Sodium silicate is not limited to the detergent applications as it is extensively used in a wide variety of processes and productions such as: concrete, adhesives, films and coatings, gels, paper and de-flocculating agents.The standard sizes of Ballestra sodium silicate (solution 42% wt.) plant are:

20 MTD (1 reactor) •50 MTD (1 reactor) •100 MTD (2 reactors)•

The production of liquid Sodium Silicate by means of the Ballestra process entails the following main advantages:

Use of cheap raw materials (Silica Sand and Caustic Soda Solution world-wide available as commodities).•Energy and utility demand lower than the "thermal" process (based on the reaction of silica sand and Na2CO3 in a rotary furnace).•Possibility to produce Na2SiO3 solution with a wide range of chemical (and application) characteristics (i.e.: mole ratio SiO2 / Na2O = 1/1 to 2.2/1).

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Production flexibility (due to batch-operating mode) with possibility of "modular" expansion of the plant capacity by parallel addition of batch reactors.

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Operation profitability also for plants of limited capacity.•High plant operation safety, thanks to the relief and control devices included into the standard plant configuration.•

All the above entail a very good profitability of the investment and allow a fast economical return.

PLANT BLOCK DIAGRAM (simplified)

Sulphuric Acid Ballestra designs and supplies Sulfuric Acid production plants, technical or battery grade, based on the Ballestra proprietary technology and/or Monsanto license (on a case by case basis). Plants are studied in full compliance to the safety and environmental principles, as per international standards and are developed taking into consideration Ballestra's experiences of over 35 years of design and supply of SO3 generation plants (over 500 plants supplied world-wide). Ballestra's technology has been developed taking into consideration the necessity to guarantee flexibility, reliability and low operating cost, while maintaining the best quality standard as guaranteed by the ISO 9001 certification. A wide range of plants capacities are envisageable, from small size (24TPD) for local or very specific applications to big industrial production units (400 TPD and more). Ballestra's design foresees the following configurations:

Single SO3 adsorption, with or without heat recovery system. •Double SO3 adsorption, with heat recovery system.•

The main units composing the plant are the following:

Air drying. •Sulphur melting and dosing system. •Sulphur combustion. •SO2 to SO3 conversion unit. •



SO3 adsorption unit (double or single adsorption). •Exhaust gases treatment system. •Heat recovery (optional)•

The raw material is solid Sulphur (liquid Sulphur can also be used, avoiding the Sulphur melting section), which is melted into the plant and fed to the Sulphur furnace together with dried air. Dried air is produced by dehydration system which uses H2SO4 as the dehydrating agent. Gaseous SO2 is the result of the Sulphur combustion with oxygen. SO2 is then converted to SO3 by a catalytic reaction with oxygen. SO3 is absorbed using water in order to produce 98.5 wt % sulfuric acid (99 wt % in case of double SO3 absorption).

The SO3 absorption can be done by a single stage or latter: in the latter, the overall plant yield is improved and it is not necessary to install an exhaust gas scrubber to remove the SO2 (also small quantities of SO3 and acid mist) present in the gases released into atmosphere. The installation of the gas treatment ensures that the SOx traces in the exhaust gases always remain within the permitted limits, according to the most stringent international standards. Steam can be produced by the heat recovery system and it can be used directly in the plant, in particular for the Sulphur melting unit and for the (steam) driver of the air blower. For large plants also an electric unit power generation, can be foreseen.

H2SO4 PRODUCTION

PLANT BLOCK DIAGRAM AND OVERALL MATERIAL BALANCE

Single SO3 Absorption

Sodium/Potassium Sulphate Plants for the production of sodium/Potassium sulphate by direct reaction of sodium/potassium chloride with sulphuric acid. Global solution Ballestra's experience allows the finding of the most appropriate solution for the production of potassium sulphate, giving the priority to a safe, environmental friendly and cost effective operation. Available Know-how In order to produce potassium sulphate (K2SO4), Ballestra can propose its Know how developed in collaboration with Marchi Industriale, which is the largest manufacturer of Potassium sulphate in Italy. Available process The process available to produce potassium sulphate is based on the reaction between sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and potassium chloride (KCl) that takes place at high temperatures in the Mannheim type furnace. Safety & Environment All plants are designed in full compliance to the strictest safety and environmental standards and are developed using the Ballestra know-how and experience of over 40 years in the design, supply and operation of chemical plants. Main Advantages of Desmet Ballestra Technology

1. Flexibility, reliability, easy working procedures and low operating cost, while maintaining the best quality standards as guaranteed by the ISO 9001 certification.

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2. A wide range of production capacities, from 30-40 TPD, corresponding to a one furnace plant, to 120-160 TPD, obtained by adding in parallel 4 furnaces in order to allow large industrial productions. The production capacity mostly depends on the residual

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chloride content of the final product. 3. Possibility to produce high quality powder or granular K2SO4 fertilizer grade.

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4. Compact plant layout, studied in compliance with economic and safety principles and according to customer site requirements.

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5. Air pollution control system, limiting the plant emissions to the minimum level required by local and international standards.

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6. Very high quality of construction materials.

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7. High automation, allowing the reduction of the personnel required to operate the plant

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8. Up-to-date technology developed during more than 30 years of experience in potassium sulphate production and deeply interconnected with engineering capability in finding solutions to every-day production problems.

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Principle The process is based on the endothermic reaction between H2SO4 and KCl that takes place under temperature control in the Mannheim furnace. With K2SO4 production is associated the production of technical grade hydrochloric acid (HCl), obtained by quenching and absorbing the gas released during the reaction in multi stages absorption towers. Na2SO4 detergent grade The same plant is also capable to process sodium chloride (NaCl) instead of potassium chloride, producing therefore raw sodium sulphate. This raw product must be purified and crystallized in an additional unit in order to obtain sodium sulphate of detergent grade. Ballestra/Marchi Furnace The combustion chamber is separated from the reaction chamber by means of a dome made in prefabricated components of Silicon Carbide and is heated by 12 burners designed to guarantee low fuel consumptions and longer muffle duration, thanks to the homogeneous and radial temperature profile obtained. The dome and burners design improves the reaction conversion and minimize the maintenance operations on the combustion chamber dome.

Zeolite Plant for production of zeolite from alumina, caustic soda and silica sand.

Sodium Tripolyphosphates Plant for the production of Detergent-grade STPP (in powder or granular shape, at different ratiophase I vs. phase II).

Single/Triple Superphosphates Plant for the production of quality fertilizers from phosphate rocks, phosphoric and sulfuric acids as well as NPK compounds.

Sodium Hypochlorite Plant for the production of sodium hypochlorite by direct reaction of chlorine gas with caustic soda.

Sulphur Dioxide/Trioxide (gas and liquid) Plant for the production of pure SO2/SO3 in liquid and gas form for several applications.



balestra det

Documents

process air dew

use of air

hot air

air drying unit

drying process

compressed air

atmospheric air

atmostheric air