How Calcination Works
Calcination (also commonly referred to as calcining) is a thermal treatment used to cause chemical separation.
Processes Induced through Calcination
Calcination often uses heat, sometimes in the absence of oxygen, to induce one or more of the following things:
- Phase Transition/Change
- Removal of a Volatile Fraction
- Decomposition
- Removal of Crystalline Water
Commonly Calcined Materials
Rotary kilns are extremely flexible thermal processing devices, and are capable of processing a wide variety of materials. Some of the materials commonly calcined in a rotary kiln include:
- Technical Ceramics
- Kaolin Clay
- Refractories
- Alumina
- Spodumene Ore
*Note: The term “calcination” is often loosely used to refer to thermal treatment techniques that may or may not meet the technical definition.
Equipment Used
Rotary kilns are used to carry out the calcination process. Depending on the process goals and the material to be processed, the kiln may be of the direct-fired, or indirect-fired type.
It is also common to follow the calcination process with a rotary cooler. This efficiently cools the material after it has been calcined, so it can move on to transportation or storage.
Resources
Why Choose FEECO?
FEECO specializes in calcination process development and custom rotary kilns. We offer a unique testing facility where we can test your intended calcination process at both batch and pilot scale, gathering valuable process and material data along the way. We can then use this data to scale up the process and manufacture a custom, commercial size rotary kiln tailored to your process goals.
Our Commitment to Quality
Our company was founded on the idea that we could do things better; that if we put our minds to it, we could produce the best in industrial processing equipment.