Maleic Anhydride
Pastillation of Maleic Anhydride – a technology originally invented by us for this very product more than 70 years ago
Maleic anhydride (MA / MSA) is one of the most demanding materials in the chemical industry:
It has a low melting point of around 53 °C, exceptionally low melt viscosity – and is classified as hazardous to health both in molten form and as airborne dust.
Fine MA dust can irritate the respiratory tract, cause sensitisation and represents a significant exposure and safety risk during handling, transport and packaging.
It was precisely these challenges that led to the invention of industrial pastillation more than 70 years ago by Mr. Guenter Kaiser – a technology developed to convert MA into a dust-free, safe and stable solid form.
This process remains the core expertise of KAISER, refined and perfected over more than seven decades.
Why pastillation?
MA is either:
- processed as a hot melt or transported in jacket heated trucks, or
- solidified for storage, transport and accurate dosing.
The main solidification methods are:
- flaking,
- pastillation and
- briquetting.
For MA, among of these alternatives only the KAISER ZN Systemis able to meet the required level of dust control, product safety, mechanical strength, and moisture exclusion in a reliable method.
Only the KAISER ZN system produces truly dust-free and highly break-resistant pastilles!
Conventional rotating pastillation systems or drip technologies fall short in two crucial quality aspects:
- achieving real dust-free operation,
- ensuring high mechanical strength of the pastilles.
With MA, dust is not only a process challenge – it is a significant health hazard. Fine particles easily become airborne during conveying, bagging or transport and require stringent exposure control.
The stationary KAISER ZN pastillation system ensures:
- completely dust-free pastilles
- excellent mechanical strength without abrasion
- outstanding size and shape uniformity
- excellent flow properties for silos, big bags and conveying systems
For a reactive and health-sensitive product such as MA, this level of control is essential.
Completely gas-tight and moisture-free operation – only achievable with KAISER
MA reacts immediately and completely with water:
MA + H2O → Maleic Acid
Even minimal ambient humidity can:
- degrade product quality
- contaminate equipment
- generate fine particulate
- compromise safety
Only the KAISER ZN system guarantees:
- fully gas-tight processing chambers
- operation with dry air or inert gas
- complete elimination of moisture ingress
- maximum safety, purity and process stability
Rotating technologies cannot be sealed to this standard – a decisive disadvantage for a moisture- and dust-sensitive product like MA.
Advantages of pastillation compared to briquetting
Briquetting appears robust, but presents significant disadvantages:
- multi-step process: flakes → crushing → compaction
- dust formation: fine particulate generated during both crushing and pressing
- health hazard: MA dust is classified as hazardous
- breakage: briquettes create fines during transport and handling
- high energy consumption: mechanical compaction is intensive
- irregular shapes: reduced flowability and poor silo discharge behavior
- high wear: tools and matrices require frequent replacement
- difficult cleaning: many dead zones, challenging product changeovers
- large installation height: briquetting lines require crushers, screens, presses and dedusting units, resulting in a high vertical layout and increased structural costs
In contrast, KAISER pastillation is cleaner, safer, more energy-efficient and significantly more product-friendly, all in a single continuous process step.
Conclusion
Pastillation was originally invented specifically for maleic anhydride, and we have perfected this technology over more than 70 years.
For producers requiring:
- dust-free operation,
- health and safety compliance,
- high mechanical stability,
- complete moisture protection,
- maximum process control,
the KAISER ZN pastillation system offers the technically superior and economically most compelling solution.