Patent ID: 8754026

Claim:
A process for producing granules, the process comprising spraying an aqueous starting solution into one or more gaseous driving jets in a jet apparatus, drying the aqueous starting solution to obtain round compact granules, and discharging the granules from the jet apparatus, wherein: the granules comprise one or more complexing agent salts of formula (I): R′ represents hydrogen or one of the groups: R″ represents hydrogen, a C 1 -C 12 -alkyl radical, or a —(CH 2 ) q —COOM radical; q represents 1 to 5; n and m independently represent an integer from 0 to 5; R′″ represents hydrogen, or a C 1 -C 12 -alkyl radical or a C 2 -C 12 -alkenyl radical, which are optionally substituted with up to 5 hydroxyl groups, or is one of the groups: o and p independently represent an integer from 0 to 5; M independently represents hydrogen, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, or an ammonium or a substituted ammonium in corresponding stoichiometric amounts; the aqueous starting solution comprises the one or more complexing agent salts in a concentration of from 10 to 80% by weight, based on a total weight of the aqueous starting solution; in the jet apparatus, a gaseous driving jet is positioned centrally and directed from bottom to top, or one or more gaseous driving jets are positioned in a region of the central axis of the jet apparatus, to induce an internal loop motion, with formation of a jet zone, a fountain zone is present in an upper end of the jet apparatus, the fountain zone merges into a return zone in a wall region of the jet apparatus, and the return zone, in its lower region, merges into the jet zone, where the aqueous starting solution is sprayed into the one or more gaseous driving jets; the temperature in the jet zone, the fountain zone, and in the return zone is in a range between 70 and 150° C.; and the round compact granules have particle sizes in the range of between 0.3 and 30 mm and a bulk density ranging from 900 kg/m 3 to 1000 kg/m 3 .