Which is more effective in controlling antisolvent crystallization, membrane properties or operating conditions?
(2023) International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Processes (ICOM 2023) — Location: Chiba, Japan (9.July.2023)
Files
No attached file found for this publication.
Details
- Authors
Chergaoui, Sara 
- Abstract
- The choice between altering membrane properties or the process conditions impacts the cost of the system and its footprint. Membrane-assisted antisolvent crystallization (MAAC) is a new technology that controls antisolvent mass transfer to the crystallizing solution, which correlates directly with supersaturation rate and crystal development. The uniformity of crystal size is a key indicator of successful control, which goes along with a stable antisolvent mass transfer coefficient. In this work, Polypropylene (PP) porous membranes were evaluated in performing MAAC under different conditions and compared with Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes. Either α-glycine or L-serine in water was taken as crystallizing solution and pure ethanol as an antisolvent (Figure 1). The impact of either the antisolvent or crystallizing solution flow rate, the antisolvent composition, the temperature and gravity resistance were evaluated. All conditions were consistent in providing a narrow crystal size distribution (CSD) with the coefficient of variation (CV) in the range of 0.5–0.6 as opposed to 0.75 and 0.72 obtained by batch and drop-by-drop crystallization respectively. The prism-like shape of glycine crystals was maintained as well, with a mean crystal size of 23 to 40 μm. The crystal size had no clear correlation with the solution flow rate or antisolvent composition but increased with the application of higher temperature or gravity resistance. PP membranes controlled the antisolvent mass transfer more effectively compared to PVDF, mainly due to its hydrophobicity, while the membrane pore size and cross-sectional structure were the same in both PP and PVDF membranes. Both membranes showed superior performance with the crystal size CV within 31-37% (Figure 2). It is reassuring that MAAC can operate under mild conditions to produce in one step a narrow CSD, which would facilitate its maturity and integration in the production lines of organic compounds.
- Affiliations
Citations
Chergaoui, S., Debecker, D., Leyssens, T., & Luis Alconero, P. (2023). Which is more effective in controlling antisolvent crystallization, membrane properties or operating conditions? International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Processes (ICOM 2023), Chiba, Japan. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/100719