In powder processing, agglomeration is defined as the
process of amassing material fines into cohesive units like pellets or
granules. Simply put, powder agglomeration means making fine powdery particles
stick together to form larger particles that are easier to handle.
In bulk material processing, coating is the process of altering the material characteristics of particles only on their outermost surface in order to protect the material characteristics underneath. Coating often takes place directly after or as a final stage in industrial mixing processes.
Drying is a mass transfer process. All mass transfer processes involve moving mass from one location or phase to another. In the case of industrial powder drying, the liquid solvent to be removed is almost always water. This is typically done by applying heat, thus causing the water to evaporate.