GB861845A - Agglomeration process - Google Patents

Abstract

A powdered fertiliser is agglomerated by applying a jet of steam in a path coinciding with a plane of discretely arranged powder particles moving in a first direction, at such an angle and with sufficient force to redirect the particles in the path of the steam, causing them to be wetted and to agglomerate. In one example powdered fertiliser is fed from an inclined shoot in the form of a curtain about one tenth of an inch thick and a steam jet from a pipe of three quarters of an inch diameter located in the plane of the curtain one inch therefrom and one inch from the shoot is introduced at right angles to the direction of travel of the curtain and the wetted particles are displaced on to a belt conveyer. Coffee or pharmaceutical powders may also be agglomerated according to the invention.ALSO:Powdered material such as coffee, gelatine, or metal, is agglomerated by applying a jet of steam in a path coinciding with a plane of discretely arranged powder particles moving in a first direction, at such an angle and with sufficient force to redirect the particles in the path of the steam causing them to be wetted and to agglomerate. In one example a light brown ground coffee product is fed from an inclined shoot in the form of a curtain about one tenth of an inch thick and a steam jet from a pipe of three quarters of an inch diameter located in the plane of the curtain one inch therefrom and one inch from the shoot is introduced at right angles to the direction of travel of the curtain and the wetted particles are displaced on to a belt conveyer. The darkened agglomerated product is allowed to cool and is found to dissolve easily in cold water. Fertilizer or pharmaceutical powders may also be agglomerated according to the invention.ALSO:Coffee powder or a pharmaceutical medicine in powder form is agglomerated to increase the particle size and darken its colour by applying a jet of steam in a path coinciding with a plane of powder particles moving in a first direction, at such an angle and with sufficient force to redirect the particles in the path of the steam causing them to be wetted and to agglomerate. The powder may be a dried water extract of a beverage roast comprising bran, molasses and barley or a surrogate prepared by autoclaving barley, corn syrup and starch in a hydrous reaction mixture at high temperature, recovered from the liquid, dried and powdered. In one example, a tenth of an inch thick curtain of powder falling from a shoot encounters a jet of steam from a horizontal pipe in the plane of the curtain and the powder particles are displaced on to a belt conveyer. The agglomerated powder, when cooled, is stated to dissolve easily in cold water.