A knife gate valve is an ideal material handling valve for facilities that process slurry, a thick liquid mixture containing solid particles. At coal-burning power plants, a slurry comprised of pulverized limestone and water is sprayed on smoke emissions to control pollution. To control the flow of limestone slurry, a knife gate valve uses linear motion to move its blade to open or close the passage. The knife gate valve is specially designed to maintain system pressure while closed. Better than a rotary valve in this application, the knife gate valve can effectively handle the abrasiveness of the limestone particles and cut through thick slurry to interrupt flow when needed. According to an article published by GlobalSpec, even when knife gate valves are open, “the diameter through which the process fluid passes is essentially equal to that of the pipe. Hence, they tend to have minimal pressure drop when opened fully.” The StopTight™ Knife Gate Valve from Aerodyne is an excellent choice for handling slurry and a variety of other materials.