A PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING POTASSIUM SULFATE FERTILIZER ANDOTHER METAL SULFATES

摘要

A new process of preparing potassium sulfate fertilizer and other metal sulfates from the chlorides and other halides of these metals. The process utilizes the discovery that sulfur dioxide or trioxide, when introduced as a fluidizing medium into shallow bed s of the halide salts at moderately elevated temperatures (1000.degree.F - 1150.degree.F) in a counter current process results in the conversion of the metal halides into metal sulfates and the halide gas. The process is carried out in a series of true fluidized beds preferably but not necessarily arranged in a vertical configuration so that the solids flow downward due to the fluidized process and the sulfur dioxide or trioxide gases flow counter currently in an upward direction producing pure metal sulfates at the bottom and pure halide gas at the top.