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Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Optimization of Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular Crystallography
Published on: March 13, 2021
Influence of ammonium nitrate on the crystallisation of ammonium sulfate
Bangfu Huang1,2, Meng Dai1,2, Zhenjing Wen1,2
1Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
This study aims to explore the influence mechanism of ammonium nitrate produced by ozone denitrification on the crystallisation of ammonium sulfate, a by-product of ammonia desulfurisation. The laser method was used to study the influence of ammonium nitrate on the solubility and metastable zone width of ammonium sulfate. An experiment on the influence of ammonium nitrate on the particle size of ammonium sulfate was designed, and the influence mechanism was explored through scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The findings showed that the addition of ammonium nitrate increased the size and aspect ratio of ammonium sulfate crystals. The addition of ammonium nitrate inhibited the dissolution of ammonium sulfate and widened its metastable zone. The addition of ammonium nitrate covered the active sites of crystal nucleus growth, which inhibited the formation of crystal nuclei to a certain extent, and crystal growth dominated the crystallisation process. Moreover, the addition of ammonium nitrate induced the preferred orientation of the specific crystal plane of ammonium sulfate, and the addition of a small concentration of ammonium nitrate decreased the crystallinity of ammonium sulfate. The research results can provide a reference for crystallisation optimisation and quality improvement of ammonium sulfate in the ammonia desulfurisation process.
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