Crystallization
Purification processes for manufacturing pure products are generally characterized by an interconnection of different process engineering operations. These operations allow selective separation of components present in a mixture based on different physical interactions, such as hydrophobicity in extraction processes with non-polar solvents or vapor pressures in distillation processes. In addition to the purity requirements for the target product, requirements can also be formulated with regard to the aggregate state and, in more detail, the morphology solid particles. A highly selective thermal separation process frequently used in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries is crystallization. It offers numerous advantages over other processes, including high product purity, low energy costs, gentle material treatment and high operational reliability.
In the crystallization team of AVT.FVT, the production of bio-based chemicals as well as the recovery of valuable components from recycling processes by crystallization and precipitation is investigated in detail.
An experimental focus is the investigation of predominant crystallization phenomena such as nucleation, growth, agglomeration, and breakage. In addition to laboratory experiments, our team increasingly uses simulations with different levels of detail, which allow a well-founded investigation of the complex relationships between different crystallization phenomena and significantly reduce the experimental effort.
Current research focuses are:
- Continuous pH-shift crystallization processes
- Electrochemically induced pH-shift crystallization
- Detailed spatially resolved modeling of crystallization processes
- Precipitation of valuable components from biorefinery or recycling processes using antisolvents
Experimental and simulative student research projects as well as bachelor and master theses are regularly available in the areas mentioned above. Please contact the corresponding person or have a look at the advertised theses at the AVT.FVT.