Process Used By Manufactures in India for Production of Red Lead

Posted by metenere65 on January 14th, 2015

Red lead has been in use since hundreds of years. During the middle ages, red lead, also known as ‘Minium’ was used for decorating manuscripts. It was also used in painting. Although nowadays red lead manufacturers in India employ modern day methods to produce red lead, it was obtained in earlier times through a special process where white lead was roasted in open air. On roasting, the white lead used to change colour from white to yellow, and then to a bright orange or red coloured material, which was red lead.

Process Used By Red Lead Manufacturers in India

Modern day methods for the manufacturing of red lead differ from the simpler ones used in the pre-industrial era. Today, red lead manufacturers employ plants and furnaces to produce large quantities of red lead in various forms to be used in a number of industrial and other applications.

Red Lead Furnace

Red lead in produced in a batch process using red lead furnaces, which are refractory lined ovens. Here, lead oxide is heated to high temperatures of around 450 to 500 degree Celsius and this temperature range is maintained till the time the lead oxide PbO converts into Pb304. Normally this process takes about 20 to 24 hours to complete.

There are many factors which affect the rate of production of red lead through this process. The amount of free lead in the lead oxide being used as input is one of them. The amount of red lead batches obtained will be higher with the decrease in the amount of free lead in the input lead oxide.

The temperature inside the furnace is maintained at a desired level by using burners which are fuelled by gas or oil. The temperature is measured by using thermocouples, which record the temperature inside and cutting of the burners whenever the desired level of temperature is reached.

Inside the furnace there is a negative pressure. The air from the burners is filtered and directed out in the atmosphere. An ascrew conveyer is used to feed the furnace and a silo feeds the oxide to the conveyor by using vibrators.

Applications of Red Lead

Red lead produced by manufacturers in India is used as a primer for protection of metal surfaces from corrosion. It is used for painting ships, bridges and other metallic structures that are constantly exposed to corrosive elements. It is also used in batteries, glass manufacturing, ceramics, surface coating, plastics, etc.

About the Author…

Metenere Ltd Manufactures the Tin, Lead, and Aluminum Ingot Alloy in India. They are the best quality suppliers of Aluminum sheets, rods, foils in Japan, Korea.