Alginic Acid and it's delivatives
Manufacturing Process
- Seaweed
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Raw material of Alginate is a brown seaweed growing abundantly in the ocean worldwide.
KIMICA utilizes Lessonia as raw material seaweed.
- Crushing
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Carefully selected seaweed, after it is dried & pulverized, is used for Alginate production.
- Washing & Swelling
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By reacting with divarent metal cations from seawater (such as calcium), the Alginic acid in seaweed forms a water insoluble alginate gel. This Alginate is partially cross-linked and retains it's shape.
After rinsing seaweed in the water, it's swelled in the acidic water.
- Extraction
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The alginate in seaweed is extracted first by conversion to water-soluble Sodium alginate.
Caustic soda is added to extract Sodium alginate from swelled seaweed.
- Clarification
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The aqueous alginate solution is then isolated first by clarification procedure.
As this aqueous alginate solution is highly viscous, this solution is diluted by adding large amount of water then clarified.
Know-How for this processing is a proprietary technology developed by KIMICA.
- Filtration
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Seaweed extract is filtrated to separate Sodium alginate solution from fibrous seaweed residue (cellulose, etc.)
- Precipitation
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To isolate alginic acid from thin sodium alginate solution, an acid is added.
In an acidic system, insoluble alginic acid is precipitated and isolated.
This is so-called “Acid Precipitation Method”.
The "Acid Precipitation Method" is particularly suitable for the production of the purest alginic acid because it reduces calcium contamination. Calcium has considerable affects on the properties and functionality of the final alginic acid and it's derivatives.
- Alginic Acid (wet body)
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Precipitated alginic acid is dehydrated, and fibrous wet body (gel) is produced.
Fibrous wet body is dried and pulverized to make alginic acid powder.
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- Ion-Exchange
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Add mono- & divalent cation to alginic acid wet body for ion-exchange reaction to produce alginate salts (in below)
- Drying & Milling
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After reaction, hot-air dried, then milled to desired particle sizes.
- KIMICA ALGIN
- Sodium Alginate
- Potassium Alginate
- Calcium Alginate
- Ammonium Alginate
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- Drying & Milling
- After reaction, hot-air dried, then milled to desired particle sizes.
- KIMICA ACID
- Alginic Acid
- Esterification
- Add Propylene Oxide to alginic acid wet body for esterification reaction to produce Alginate Ester (in below)
- Drying & Milling
- After reaction, hot-air dried, then milled to desired particle sizes.
- KIMILOID
- Alginate Ester
- Notice:
- There are two methods of processing to produce alginates: the so-called "Acid Precipitation Method" and the "Calcium Precipitation Method".
KIMICA has developed and commercialized the "Acid Precipitation Method", from it's foundation, and possesses considerable "know-how" of this production method.
