Patent ID: 7521080

Claim:
A process for granulation of L-threonine from a solution comprising the steps of: (a) spraying a superheated aqueous suspension or an aqueous solution of L-threonine in the granulation chamber, the aqueous solution of L-threonine being superheated to a temperature ranging from 100° C. to 160° C.; (b) granulating L-threonine into solid particles in a circulating fluidized bed of a granulation chamber; (c) discharging at least 30% weight of the solid particles with a drying gas stream from the granulation chamber; (d) separating the discharged solid particles from the drying gas stream of step (c); (e) removing granulated particles within the size range of greater than 100 μm to 2,000 μm from the granulation chamber at a rate such that the amount of solid L-threonine remains constant in the granulation chamber; and (f) recycling the solid particles of step (d), which have not reached the desired size range of greater than 100 μm to 2,000 μm, back into the circulating fluidized bed of steps (a)-(b).