Kerr-Mcgee Chemical, LLC

Searles Valley Minerals Operations Inc.

James L Fairchild

James B Rodosevich

Avinash D Puri

Merlin D Coe

Donald S Arnold

Donald A Nichols

A method can, in one general aspect, include steps for the recovery of potassium sulfate and mirabilite from glaserite. In another general aspect, a method includes dissolving glaserite in water at an elevated temperature to produce a saturated or nearly saturated solution, and cooling the solution to a temperature where potassium sulfate and mirabilite will crystallize from the solution as stable phases. In yet another general aspect, a method includes adding glaserite to a saturated solution of glaserite in water and mixing for enough time at a temperature where the glaserite will decompose into potassium sulfate and mirabilite as stable phases. In yet another general aspect, a method includes separating potassium sulfate from mirabilite using a froth floatation process.

Separation of purified potassium sulfate from glaserite

Boric acid is crystallized from saturated aqueous solutions thereof by adding to the solutions small proportions of water soluble polymers which control the particle size distribution of the boric acid during crystallization.

Method for controlling boric acid particle size distribution

A method for continuously controlling the formation of crystal fines in a continuous crystallizing process in which product crystals are produced in a crystallizing zone from crystallizable material in a mother liquor, and in which product crystals are thereafter recovered. The invention is practiced by adding a flocculant, specific to the crystallizable material, to the mother liquor at a rate effective to cause flocculation of particles of crystallizable material in the mother liquor. One embodiment of the invention is practiced in a process for producing sodium bicarbonate crystals by adding anionic polyacrylate and/or polyacrylamide polymers to a sodium carbonate-containing feed brine received in a carbonator.

Method of continuously controlling crystal fines formation

A process for the production of sodium carbonate wherein sodium bicarbonate is recovered from a brine containing sodium carbonate by carbonation of the brine under controlled conditions. The sodium bicarbonate is crystallized from the carbonated brine in a multi-stage carbonating, cooling and crystallization process after which it is filtered to produce wet cake. The wet cake is subjected to predrying to provide a predried wet cake of a specified free moisture content and mixed with recycle light ash to provide a dryer feed of specified moisture content to alleviate problems of product fouling or plugging of the dryer. The light ash from the dryer then is bleached and subjected to recrystallization, screening, centrifuging and drying to provide a dried sodium carbonate possessing, after evaporation of the water of hydration and free moisture, less than 0.10 percent moisture and chemical and physical properties meeting commercial dense ash specifications.

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Trona, CA, United States of America

James L Fairchild