Zinc oxide is known for its versatility and many different useful properties, making it perfect to use across fields and industries. There are several methods in order to produce this compound, and here’s the different zinc oxide manufacturing process commonly used by zinc oxide producer.

French Process

The first technique to manufacture zinc oxide is through the traditional one known as the French process or the direct process. Using a furnace which is set in high temperatures, zinc metal would be put inside to be melted. In the temperature around 1200 degree Celcius, the metal would not only be melted but also vaporized. 

The zinc vapor then would react with oxygen and then would form the particles of zinc oxide. Then those particles would be collected and undergo further process in order to acquire the desired properties. This process is known to produce zinc with a high level of purity and then would have astounding chemical reactivity. The zinc oxide created by this process is wanted by various industries like ceramics, cosmetics and medicine.

American Process

Another type commonly used by zinc oxide producer is the non-direct one, but it’s very commonly known as the American process. Different from the French process, the American process initially produced the zinc oxide with zinc vapor combustion. Raw materials which contain zinc like zinc ores are used in thermal breakdown to make the vapor. 

Fumes would be created from the combustion which would be gathered and then cooled. The result of this process is particles of zinc oxide which then would be purified and refined, in order to get the preferred characteristics. This process is cheaper and more efficient, this technique is often favored than the French process for productions in industrial scale.

Wet Chemical

In this technique, water would be used to dissolve zinc salt. After that, an alkaline solution like sodium hydroxide would be added which then would create zinc hydroxide. In order to turn it into zinc oxide, it needs to be heated. For coatings and rubber manufacturing, this technique is favored.

So there you go, those are the different types of zinc oxide production method widely used by most zinc oxide producer. Each of these techniques would create different zinc oxide with different qualities and characteristics which is important for various different fields and industries like rubber, coating, medicine and cosmetics.