Patent ID: 7713400

Claim:
A method for producing a nodular electrolytic flocculant comprising: charging an electrolysis cell with a mixture of calcium chloride and sodium chloride salts and heating the electrolysis cell to form a molten salt mixture, electrolytically reducing said molten salt mixture to form a calcium-sodium alloy molten liquid along with chlorine gas, discharging said chlorine gas from said electrolysis cell, pumping said calcium-sodium alloy molten liquid as a high pressure liquid stream into an atomization chamber through a nozzle, in the atomization chamber impinging an inert gas from an inert gas nozzle onto said high pressure calcium-sodium alloy molten liquid stream, said impingement of inert gas on said high pressure liquid stream transferring heat from said calcium-sodium alloy molten liquid causing said calcium component to cool below its freezing point thereby forming solid calcium metal particles surrounded by a liquid sodium shell, carrying said particles by said inert gas into a heat exchanger, said sodium liquid cooling below its freezing point in said heat exchanger to encase the calcium particles and to form nodular electrolytic flocculant comprising nodular calcium particles within a sodium flocculant, carrying said nodular electrolytic flocculant from said heat exchanger into a cooling chamber by said inert gas for further cooling, and passing said nodular electrolytic flocculant from said cooling chamber into a conveyer which carries it to a receiver.