Chemically identical to flakes, physically very different. That difference — particle shape — is why many automated plants specify caustic soda pearls even when the flake price is marginally lower.
Product Identification
- CAS No.: 1310-73-2 | UN Number: UN 1823, Class 8 corrosive
- Alias: prilled caustic, NaOH pearls, sodium hydroxide pearls
- Assay: 99% min | Appearance: uniform white spherical pearls
- Grade: industrial | Brand supplied: TIANYE
- Packing: 25 kg PP bags with moisture-proof liner
Pearls Versus Flakes: What Changes in Practice
- Flowability: the spherical shape flows predictably through screw feeders and pneumatic lines, whereas flakes bridge and rat-hole in hoppers.
- Dust generation: flakes break during handling and produce caustic dust that irritates skin and lungs and corrodes nearby equipment. Pearls generate substantially less.
- Moisture behaviour: both forms are equally hygroscopic and both carbonate in moist air — but because pearls have a lower surface-area-to-volume ratio, surface degradation proceeds more slowly per kilogram stored.
- Dosing accuracy: uniform size and free flow give better repeatability in automated dosing systems.
- Dissolution: both dissolve readily with strong heat release; pearls tend to disperse without the floating raft sometimes seen with flakes.
Main Applications
- Alumina refining: Bayer process digestion of bauxite ore
- Soap and detergent manufacturing: saponification of fats and oils
- Textile mercerisation: improving cotton strength and lustre
- Paper and pulp: kraft pulping chemical
- Water treatment: pH regulation and acidic effluent neutralisation at automated plants
- Petrochemicals: refining operations and drilling-mud systems
Storage Requirements
- Keep bags sealed. Moisture control is what preserves the flowability advantage buyers pay for.
- Store below 30°C in dry conditions. Heat combined with humidity turns pearls sticky and defeats the free-flow benefit.
- Use pallets and keep off concrete floors. Bottom bags in contact with damp concrete often fuse into solid blocks.
- Segregate from acids, aluminium, zinc, tin and ammonium salts — the hazard profile is unchanged from flakes.
- Handle damaged bags immediately and never transfer product into unlabelled containers.
- Add pearls to water, never water to pearls. The exothermic reaction can cause violent spattering.
Packaging and Loading
Packed in 25 kg PP bags with moisture-proof liner. Loading: 27 MT per 20'FCL without pallets / 25 MT with pallets. We export regularly to African and Southeast Asian destinations — including Durban — where the combination of careful pallet wrapping and full Class 8 dangerous-goods documentation keeps shipments compliant and stable.
Shelf Life
24 months in original sealed packaging stored cool and dry. Buyers are advised to protect opened stock in sealed drums, since the practical failure mode for pearls is loss of flow rather than loss of assay.