A new clean process for barium carbonate preparation by barite reduction with methane

Barium carbonate is an important industrial material. Conventional method of BaCO3 preparation is based on high-temperature reduction of barite (natural barium sulfate) with coal, which produces a great amount of CO2 (greenhouse gas). This research offers a clean method for BaCO3 production with methane as the reducing agent, which decreases the CO2 emission considerably (up to 75%). In this work the kinetics of BaSO4 reduction by CH4 was studied between 850 and 950 °C by thermogravimetry. The gaseous products of the reaction were also detected by an online mass spectrometer. Then by applying a mathematical model, kinetic parameters were determined. These parameters are essential for design of the industrial plants. This study shows other advantages such as lower operating temperatures, condition with no ash as impurity, and decreasing of residence time with respect to the common coal-based method.