The Indian chemical industry is one of the major contributors to the economy of the country. With more than 80,000 diverse products, it positions India as the 6th largest producer of chemicals in the world, according to the report by IBEF. Perceiving the growing demand projected in the market, the chemical and petrochemical market size is expected to triple and reach US$ 1 trillion by 2040.

Looking at the importance of the industry, it becomes imperative to ensure the quality of the products to further bolster the growth prospects of the sector. However, the industry is faced with certain challenges that can severely impact chemical products and result in significant qualitative and quantitative loss to the sector. In this, moisture emerges as a major threat to the industry, where most commercial chemicals are extremely hygroscopic in nature. Exhibiting high solubility in water, they have a tendency to absorb moisture or water vapour throughout the production, storage, and bagging phases. This in turn leads to the formation of a saturated solution, culminating in problems such as caking, oozing, and lumping of solid chemicals.

Elaborating on the moisture menace, caking and lumping can severely compromise the free-flowing properties of the chemicals. In addition to this, it is also responsible for jeopardizing the physical, nutrient, and chemical properties of the products, leading to substandard quality in the market. Likewise, during the packaging or bagging stage, the chemicals being transported via trays or belts are extremely hot, invariably increasing their affinity for moisture multifold. Therefore, it is crucial to control the humidity at this stage to allow the free flow of chemicals across auto-bagging machines into the polythene bag that too without any lumping or caking issues.

Looking at the perils of moisture in the industry, it becomes essential to store all types of chemicals at ambient temperature conditions while maintaining the relative humidity at 40%. Failing to control the humidity within the range can result in the sticking of chemicals to each other, rendering the product useless. This stage is also accompanied by the falling of chemicals on the floor, adding to the difficulty of working in the space. Additionally, this can also lead to accidents, as chemicals tend to become hard on absorbing moisture, leaving behind a slippery floor in the warehouse, increasing the risk of falling and getting injured while working in the area.

Therefore, understanding the importance of managing relative humidity below 40%, it is advisable to deploy desiccant dehumidification solutions for addressing a wide range of issues. The dehumidifiers can significantly come to aid in alleviating lumping and caking problems during storage. At the same time, it finds application in cleaning jobs inside the digestor tanks to eliminate moisture from the facilities. Likewise, the technology also performs the drying of the concrete floor in the RCC chambers. The systems are also important for preventing any explosion of chemicals in the presence of humidity.

Similarly, the desiccant dehumidification technology comes in handy for supporting effective surface preparation and coating processes inside the tank. Exercising proper humidity and temperature control drives the efficacy of rubber-lining jobs in DM water tanks, chemical tanks, acid tanks, etc. Moreover, the advanced technology is also proficient at rendering a safe confined area, reducing the risk of working in an inherently dangerous setup. It thoroughly ventilates the columns and reactors to provide comfortable conditions for conducting maintenance jobs within the enclosed space. Residing well for exercising temperature control and pre-cooling the confined area during shutdown, it plays a pivotal role in avoiding any health hazards to occupants of the space.

Therefore, installing desiccant dehumidification technology comes with a lot of benefits that can add to the resilience of the industry. The technology can curtail a range of moisture issues that plague the industry. The advantages are not just limited to bolstering the prospects of the industry with the production of the highest-quality chemicals but also extend to the safety of the workers.