Walnut Shell Grit is a fascinating material for blasting. The hardness of Walnut Shell puts it in between the soft medias like Plastic and soda and the more aggressive, common media like Crushed Glass Grit and coal slag. The combination of this hardness (MOHS – 4.5) and the angular shape provides for a decent strip rate with little to no affect on the sub-surface being blasted.
Applications such as aircraft, automotive and boat stripping can be accomplished successfully without risk of etching or warping the metal or fiberglass. Removing paint from brick, steel, aluminum and even wood can be accomplished with very low probability of damage to the underlying substrate. And if kept clean, Walnut Shell Grit can be re-used a number times increasing its value as a blasting media.
Sourced from the leftovers after extraction of the walnut meat, the shells are crushed and graded to a large variety of size distributions. This organic and biodegradable media is ideal in environments where safety and waste disposal are an issue. While the larger grit sizes (+60 mesh) are used in blasting, the finer ‘flour’ grades are used in a variety of applications including cosmetics and personal care products.
Properties of Walnut Shell Grit
- Hardness and Gentle Abrasion
Walnut shell grit is recognized for its moderate hardness. It scores approximately 3.5 on the Mohs scale. This renders it strong enough to eliminate coatings, dirt, and impurities without harming the surfaces underneath.
- Lightweight Nature
Although walnut shell grit is sturdy, it is also quite lightweight. This allows it to be handled easily. This property improves much of its usefulness in tasks such as blasting and cleaning.
- Eco-Friendly and Biodegradable
As a naturally occurring by-product, it is biodegradable and non-toxic. It is thus a good option for industries that want to lower much of their environmental impact.
- Porous Structure
The porous structure of walnut shell grit provides it with remarkable adsorption capabilities. It effectively captures pollutants during cleaning and filtration procedures.
- Chemical Resistance
High in lignin and cellulose, it displays tough resilience against chemical degradation. This property quite helps guarantee consistency and performance in industrial settings.
- Non-Sparking and Low Dust
Walnut shell grit is non-sparking and produces little dust while in use. It ensures safety in sensitive and hazardous settings like aircraft maintenance or oil rig cleaning.
Uses of Walnut Shell Grit
- Blasting and Cleaning Applications
Nowadays, it is a popularly used abrasive material in blasting operations. It gives quick cleaning and, at the same time, prevents surface harm. It is frequently used in:
Paint and Coating Stripping: It is the agent of choice for removing paint, varnish, and coatings. It can be used on different substrates from metal and plastic to wood surfaces.
Industrial Equipment Cleaning: Because it preserves the integrity of the part during the cleaning process, it is used in cleaning turbines, engines, and molds.
Graffiti Erasure: It can effectively remove graffiti from the surface of a wall without damaging it.
- Polishing and Deburring
The mild abrasive properties of walnut shell grit make it ideal for:
Jewelry Polishing: Walnut grit helps revive luster in fine metals and precious stones.
Metal Finishing: It polishes and removes burrs from metal automotive and aerospace parts.
Wood Refinishing: It improves the inherent texture of wooden surfaces.
- Filtration Media
Because of its porous nature and adsorptive properties, it acts as a natural filtering medium and is used in:
Oil and Grease Filtration: It eliminates hydrocarbons and various contaminants from industrial wastewater.
Water Filtration: Cleanses water in urban and industrial water systems.
- Cosmetics and Personal Care
It, when ground to a fine powder, serves as a natural exfoliant:
Facial Scrubs: Softly exfoliates dead skin cells and makes the skin luminous.
Body Scrubs: A walnut scrub polishes and revitalizes the skin.
Pedicure Exfoliants: Walnut grit can smooth and buff rough skin spots such as heels.
- Agriculture and Landscaping
It is used sometimes in farming and landscaping activities.
Mulching: It helps conserve soil moisture and inhibits weed development.
Soil Aeration: It enhances soil quality and allows for better drainage and aeration.
- Pet Care Applications
Walnut shell grit is now finding use in pet care because of its effectiveness and safety.
Cat Litter: It serves as quite a lightweight and absorbent choice for litter.
Cage Lining: It is sometimes used as cage linings for small mammals, reptiles, and avians.
- Energy Production
Walnut shell grit can be converted into biochar or biomass pellets. These pellets act as a sustainable energy source.
- Industrial Additives
In heavy industries, walnut shell grit has specific applications:
Oil Drilling: Functioning as a lost circulation agent to plug cracks in geological formations while drilling. Available in different granular sizes to fill cracks and pores of varying widths.
Rubber and Plastic Production: Utilized as an additive to improve product strength and longevity.
- Arts and Crafts
Walnut shell grit is used by many artists in artistic and crafting endeavors:
Textured Coatings: Introducing dimension and texture to artworks is easy with walnut shell grit.
Eco-Conscious Packaging: Creating sustainable and ornate packaging options.
Environmental Benefits
Utilizing it promotes sustainability by reusing a by-product from the walnut sector. Its ability to biodegrade guarantees it won’t add to environmental pollution. It is a very natural choice for industries and people who want environment-friendly products.
Final Thoughts
Walnut shell grit represents a much ideal combination of practicality and eco-friendliness. Its distinct characteristics render it a crucial substance in various sectors. It finds many uses ranging from maintenance of heavy equipment to beauty care practices. Refining a fragile item of jewelry, purifying industrial wastewater, and generating renewable energy is now easy, as walnut shell grit provides quite a natural and efficient solution.
Discover the unparalleled versatility of it from Kramer Industries—your go-to solution for eco-friendly abrasive blasting, polishing, and filtration needs. Tough yet gentle, it’s perfect for achieving precision without compromising surfaces. Contact us today to find the perfect grade for your application!
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All abrasive blasting operators must be required to wear necessary respiratory protective gear. Because of potential pulmonary health issues that can be caused by the inhalation of fine abrasive media, respiratory protection is almost always a must in grit blast departments. If face masks with breathing air supply are required to be used, then periodically check the breathing air tank for sufficient supply as well ensure that operators are properly trained to use these pieces of equipment properly.