Various methods are used during the zinc oxide manufacturing process. The results have different specifications and can be used for different purposes.
Direct Process (French Process)
The direct process or french process is one method for producing zinc oxide that can be considered pretty traditional. The process includes melting and vaporizing zinc metal in a furnace at a high temperature that can reach 1200°C.
Zinc vapor becomes the result of the process and it will form zinc oxide particles after reacting with oxygen in the air. Those particles will be collected before going further to the next process to get the expected results.
The fresh process for zinc oxide manufacturing might be a traditional method for producing zinc oxide but there is a great reason why it is still used until these days. The resulting zinc oxide from this method comes with high purity that leads to great chemical reactivity. The industry that needs superior quality of zinc oxide such as cosmetics, high-performance ceramics, and pharmaceutical industry usually prefers zinc oxide made with this method.
Indirect Process (American Process)
Another common and traditional method for producing zinc oxide is an indirect process that is alsi called the American process. The production will involve the combustion of zinc vapor. Raw materials that contain zinc such as zinc ores or zinc residues will go under thermal decomposition to generate zinc vapor.
The result of zinc vapor combustion is zinc oxide fumes. After being collected and cooled, the fumes will become zinc oxide particles that need to be purified and refined to get the expected characteristics and qualities.
The American process for making zinc oxide is chosen because it can deliver energy efficiency that can lower production cost. That is why this zinc oxide manufacturing method is more suitable for large-scale production of zinc oxide that has to pay attention greatly to the cost aspect.
