Tumble granulation of agricultural substance using inclined disc unit

U ovome radu sagledano je mokro granuliranje prevrtanjem kao moguća procesna tehnologija za pripravu pogodne formulacije agrikulturne tvari Agrocal® za poboljšanje svojstava tla. Testovi šaržnog granuliranja provedeni su prevrtanjem praškaste tvari na kosom disku u laboratorijskom mjerilu. U fizičkoj pretvorbi tvari dodatno je korišten zrak i vezivo, vodena otopina kukuruznog škroba čiji je kolektiv kapljica dodavan gornjim raspršivanjem. Studij fenomena okrupnjavanja u laboratorijskom mjerilu usmjeren je k pronalaženju uvjeta provedbe procesa i svojstava ulaznih struja materijala koji će sinergističkim djelovanjem na kosom disku upravljati mikro- i mezorazinskim događajima na povoljan i željeni način te time rezultirati kolektivom postojanih okrupnjenih jedinki, Agrocal® granula. Detektirane promjene svojstva kolektiva jedinki, raspodjele veličina čestica s vremenom granuliranja ukazuju na odmak fizičke pretvorbe agrikulturne tvari u procesu granuliranja. Definiranim utjecajima mnogih procesnih varijabli na promatrani odziv procesa (raspodjelu veličina čestica) kvalitativno je sagledana mehanistička slika granuliranja partikulskog sustava Agrocal®.In this thesis, wet tumble granulation is scrutinized as potential process technology for formulation of Agrocal® agricultural substance resulting in a form that will be suitable for improving field properties. Batch granulation tests are performed by tumbling of powder material on a lab inclined disc. Additionally, air and binder, water solution of a corn starch whose droplet population is added using top spraying geometry are used in physical conversion of a substance. Study of the enlargement phenomenon in a lab scale is focused towards detection of process conditions and formulation properties that will, on an inclined disc, synergically drive micro- and meso-scale events in a favourable and desired way and therewith result in a collective of stable enlarged entities, Agrocal® granules. Detected temporal changes of the property of a group of entities, particle size distribution (PSD) point to the progress of physical conversion of agricultural substance within granulation process. By defining the effects of many process variables on the outcome of the process (particle size distribution), the mechanistic perspective of granulation of Agrocal® particulate system is qualitatively scrutinized