From medicine, self-care products, ceramics, to tires and paints, you would see zinc oxide in the label of materials. This is because zinc oxide is one of, if not the most versatile material in the world, being used by various industries and fields. These different industries usually have their own favorite zinc oxide production method, and here they are.
Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Industries
The first ones we will talk about are the industries of pharmaceutical and cosmetic. These industries need their zinc oxide to be as pure as possible, and has excellent chemical reactivity. To produce zinc oxide with these qualities and characteristics, the best way to do it is through the French process or also known as the direct process.
Electronic Industries
For electronic industries, they would need zinc oxide which is ultrafine and has a narrow size distribution. To do this, the spray pyrolysis method is the best zinc oxide production method since it would allow the manufacturer to control the zinc oxide’s particle size, morphology and composition.
Rubber and Coating Industries
Another industry that is taking advantage of zinc oxide’s versatility is rubber and coating. The rubber and coating industries would need their zinc oxide to be specific in particle size and require surface treatments. To get zinc oxide with these qualities, the wet chemical process or also known as the wet precipitation method is often and most preferred than any other production methods.
Other Industries
There’s also another method that is widely used by most industries called the American process or also known as the indirect process. This particular zinc oxide production method is very popular for various industries since it’s very efficient in energy usage and also its lower production cost, making it perfect for large-scale production.