GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

CHEMICAL PROCESS
INDUSTRIES

THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION OF PESTICIDES

(CASE STUDY OF BORIC ACID PRODUCTION)

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

OUTLINE
• GROUP MEMBERS
• INTRODUCTION TO PESTICIDES
• CLASSIFICATION OF PESTICIDES
• USES OF PESTICIDES
• BENEFITS OF PESTICIDES
• BORIC ACID (CASE STUDY)
• OCCURRENCE, LAB. PREPARATION, PROPERTIES AND
INSECTICIDAL USE OF BORIC ACID
• INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURE OF BORIC ACID
• CONCLUSION
Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero
 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

• NAMES MAT. NO.

• MAXWELL A. AGAGBO ENG1202648
• DAYE UGOCHUKWU AGALI ENG1202649
• STANLEY ERERE AGBAHOWE ENG1202650
• JEFFREY EDE AIGBOVBIOSA ENG1202651
• GODSTAND AIMIUWU ENG1202652
• OMOWALEOLA O. AKERELE ENG1202653
• EHIJIATOR AMAGBEWAN ENG1202657
• ADEKUNLE JAMES AROWOPEONILU ENG1202659

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Introduction

• Pesticides are substances meant for

attracting, seducing, and then destroying Pesticides are a class
any pest. The most common use of
of biocides
pesticides is as plant protection products.

The term “pesticide” includes all of the following: herbicide,

insecticide, insect growth regulator, nematicide, termiticide,
molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, predacide, bactericide,
insect repellent, animal repellent, antimicrobial, fungicide, disinfectant
(antimicrobial), and sanitizer.

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Introduction Cont.

In general, a pesticide is a chemical or biological agent (such as

virus, bacterium, anti-microbial, or a disinfectant) that deters,
incapacitates, kills, or otherwise discourages pests
Target pests can include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, molluscs
The food and agriculture organization (FAO) defined pesticide as.
“any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing,
destroying, or controlling any pest, including vectors of human or animal
disease, unwanted species of plants or animals, causing harm during or
otherwise interfering with the production, processing, storage, transport,
or marketing of food, agricultural commodities”
Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero
 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Classification Of Pesticides

Pesticides can be classified by;

• Target organism e.g. herbicides, insecticide etc.
• Chemical structure e.g. organic, inorganic, synthetic or biological etc.
• Physical state e.g. gaseous (fumigant)

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Classification Of Pesticides cont.

Class of Pesticide
Action
Algicides Control algae in lakes, canals, swimming pools, water
tanks, and other sites.

Antifouling agents Kill or repel organisms that attach to underwater surfaces,

such as boat bottoms.

Antimicrobials Kill microorganisms (such as bacteria and viruses).

Fungicides Kill fungi (including blights, mildews, moulds, and rusts).

Herbicides Kill weeds and other plants that grow where they are not
wanted

Insecticides Kill insects and other arthropods.

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Classification Of Pesticides continued...

Class of Pesticide
Action
Microbial pesticides Microorganisms that kill, inhibit, or out compete pests,
including insects or other microorganisms.
Nematicides Kill nematodes (microscopic, worm-like organisms that
feed on plant roots).
Molluscicides Kill snails and slugs.

Rodenticides Control mice and other rodents.

Pheromones Biochemical used to disrupt the mating behavior of

insects.
Repellents Repel pests, including insects (such as mosquitoes) and
birds.
Ovicides Kill eggs of insects and mites.

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Uses Of Pesticides
Generally, pesticides are used to control organisms that are considered to
be harmful.
• They are used to kill mosquitoes, bees, wasps and ants.
• Insecticides protects animals from illness.
• Herbicides are used to clear roadside weeds
• Pesticides are used in food storage facilities to manage rodents and
insects that infests foods.

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Benefits Of Pesticides
• Improved crop/livestock yield and quality
• Invasive species controlled.
• Human and animal lives saved and suffering reduced.
• Diseases contained geographically.
• Wood structures protected
• Tree/bush/leaf hazards prevented.

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Boric Acid (Case Study)

• Boric acid, also called
hydrogen borate, boracic acid,
orthoboric acid and acidum
boricum, is a weak, monobasic
lewis acid of boron. It is often
used as an antiseptic, 3-Dimensional representation
insecticide, flame retardant,
neutron absorber, or precursor
to other chemical compounds

structural formulae

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

` Occurrence and Lab. Preparation

Of Boric Acid

• Boric acid, or sassolite, is found natively in its free state in

some volcanic districts. It is also found as a constituent of
many naturally occurring minerals – borax, boracite, ulexite
(boronatrocalcite) and colemanite
• Boric acid was first prepared by wilhelm homberg (1652–
1715) from borax, by the action of mineral acids

• Boric acid may be prepared by reacting borax (sodium tetraborate

decahydrate) with a mineral acid, such as hydrochloric acid
Na2B4O7·10H2O + 2 HCL → 4 B(OH)3 [OR H3BO3] + 2 NaCL + 5 H2O
Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero
 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Some Properties Of Boric Acid

• Boric acid is soluble in boiling water. When heated above 170 °C, it

dehydrates, forming metaboric acid
• Metaboric acid is a white, cubic crystalline solid and is only slightly
soluble in water
• Boric acid makes an important contribution to the absorption of low
frequency sound in seawater
• With polyols such as glycerol and mannitol the acidity of the solution is
increased. With mannitol for example the pH decreases to 5.15
• Boric Acid dissolves In Anhydrous Sulfuric Acid

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

The Industrial Manufacture Of Boric Acid

Colemanite ore is charged into an acidifier and dilute

sulfuric acid is added slowly until the solution becomes
strongly acidic.  It is produced by acidifying a saturated
solution of borax or orthoborate materials
THE REACTION

• CAB3O4(OH)3.H2O + H2SO4 + H2O 3H3BO3 + CASO4

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Raw Materials:
• Colemanite Ore
Colemanite is a borate mineral found in
• Sulphuric Acid Solution. evaporite deposits of alkaline lacustrine
environments. ... Other characteristics,
• Water
bright pale yellow fluorescence, may
Product; phosphoresce pale green; pyroelectric
• Boric acid and piezoelectric at very low temperature
It was first described in 1884 for an
By-products Of The Process
occurrence near furnace creek in
• Solid Waste (Gypsum And Inert death valley and was named after william
Solids) tell colema

• Water vapor
Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero
 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description

• Feed Preparation Stage

• Reaction Stage

• Product Separation Stage

• Product Finishing Stage

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description

Feed Preparation Stage

• The colemanite ore is gotten in its raw form

• It is a stone-like material

• It is crushed to aid a fast reaction and

maximum conversion

• The dilute sulphuric acid solution (about 28-

35% wt/wt in water) is also prepared as a
separate stream.

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description Cont.

Reaction Stage
• The reaction is carried out in a 4-stage
cascade reaction system
• Total retention time is about 3 to 3.5
hours
• Supersaturated Gypsum (CaSO4) is
eliminated Industrial Reactors
• Inert solids, consisting of side minerals in the colemanite ore, (mostly
clay and feldspate minerals) remain unreacted in the reaction.
• Precipitated gypsum and inert solids proceeds to the first stage
filtration
Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero
 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description

Product Separation Stage

• To recover boric acid from the wet
gypsum cake (stream 5), it is
mixed with stream 9 and then
subjected to a second stage
filtration
• The cake obtained in the second
stage filtration is washed and the
Industrial Filter
filtrate is recycled to the reaction
step

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description (Cont.)

• The production liquor (stream 4),
which contains boric acid,
approximately 18%, is next sent to a 3-
stage crystallization unit (in adiabatic
vacuum crystallizers) to be crystallized

Industrial Crystallizers

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description (Cont.)

• The crystal composition, exiting the crystallizers as stream 7, is

then sent to a hydrocyclone, where it is enriched up to 40%
before it is filtered and washed with an incoming stream of water.

• The moisture content is reduced approximately to 7% in a centrifuge

Industrial Centrifuge

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description (Cont.)

Product Finishing Stage

• The stream 10 with 7% moisture

content is next sent to be dried in a
fluidized bed drier

• Fine crystals that escapes from the

fluidized bed dryer with air are
recovered with a cyclone and gas
washer

Industrial Dryer

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description (Cont.)...

• the solution taken from the gas washer is mixed with
stream 13 and recycled to the reaction unit as mother
liquor which contains approximately 10% boric acid
• This production process has been designed to run on a
continuous steady state basis.

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Process Description (Cont.)...

• The dried boric acid crystals,

exiting the drier as stream 16, can
then be packaged for sale or stored
properly in sealed container

Crystalline Boric acid powder

Packaged Boric acid insecticide powder

Course Instructor: Dr. (Mrs) E. T. Akhihiero

 
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Block Flow Diagram For The Industrial Manufacture Of Boric Acid From
Colemanite Ore
 GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

Conclusion
The pesticide manufacturing industry remains a very important
chemical process industry worldwide. As a result of the ever-
increasing need to protect various farm products, to preserve food
crops and other perishables liable to pest attack, it becomes
expedient to make use of pesticides, which has been seen to include
a very wide range of types. This study based on the production
processes involved in the industrial manufacture of a very common
insecticide – boric acid. From the process schematics, it can be
seen that the steps involved are mainly physical processes, which
were preceded by a chemical process. On the industrial scale, the
process remains a relatively very cheap option for pesticide
production