The recovery of potassium carbonate from wool scouring liquor and the conversion of the recovered potassium carbonate to commercial potassium sulphate, using naturally occurring gypsum as sulphate source

Abstract

In studying ways and means of converting, on a commercial basis, an alkali carbonate such as potassium carbonate to the corresponding alkali sulphate, one should bear in mind that the success of the conversion should be studied from the viewpoint of the efficiency of the cation exchange and not in terms of total potassium. The presence of potassium should be regarded as being merely incidental. Furthermore it has been found in the present study, contrary to analytical figures for wool suint from other parts of the world, that South African scouring liquors contain sulphate. In all probability the sulphate is contained in the scouring liquor as potassium sulphate. If potassium sulphate is not normally excreted through the skin of the sheep its presence in wool suint will naturally range from mere traces to considerable quantities.