Seize The Opportunity In The German CMC Market | CMC Production Line | JCT Machinery

1. Raw material pretreatment

Cellulose raw materials (cotton linters or wood pulp) are crushed, cleaned and dried to ensure uniformity and moisture control. The moisture content is typically controlled within 5-8% to facilitate uniformity in subsequent reactions.

2. Alkalization

Sodium hydroxide solution is added to the reactor to alkalize the cellulose, forming alkali cellulose. Temperature, time and alkali concentration directly affect the degree of substitution and final product properties.

3. Etherification

An etherifying agent (such as sodium chloroacetate) is added to the alkali cellulose, and the reaction proceeds at a specific temperature and pressure to product CMC. Reactor must have a corrosion-resistant lining and precise temperature control.

4. Neutralization and washing

The reaction mixture is neutralized with acid and washed with water multiple times to remove by-products. Equipment typically uses a centrifugal dehydrator or filter-washing system to ensure that the salt content is within the specified range (industrial grade <8%, food grade <5%).

5. Drying

A fluidized bed dryer or belt dryer is commonly used to control the output moisture content to 8-10% (for powdered products). Food and pharmaceutical-grade CMC requires low-temperature drying to prevent discoloration.

6. Pulverization and screening

The dried CMC is pulverized to the specified fineness (usually 80-200 mesh), then screened and packaged.