Chemical Engineering in Aqueous Systems
The group, led by Prof. Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen, is studying the unit operations of aqueous systems and the solid-liquid phases equilibria.
Water has an important role in many unit operations in applications of the chemical industry, hydrometallurgy, wood processing, food production, the metal industry and biorefining. For instance, different types of unit operations of water systems include precipitation, crystallization, freezing, eutectic freeze crystallization, drying, evaporation, absorption and adsorption, dissolution, heat transfer and post-processing of liquids and solids.
For a deeper understanding and modelling of production processes, it is also important to know the states of equilibrium between multiphase systems. The gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, and solid-liquid states of equilibrium in water systems need to be known with a sufficient degree of precision.
Water has an important role in many unit operations in applications of the chemical industry, hydrometallurgy, wood processing, food production, the metal industry and biorefining. For instance, different types of unit operations of water systems include precipitation, crystallization, freezing, eutectic freeze crystallization, drying, evaporation, absorption and adsorption, dissolution, heat transfer and post-processing of liquids and solids.
For a deeper understanding and modelling of production processes, it is also important to know the states of equilibrium between multiphase systems. The gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, and solid-liquid states of equilibrium in water systems need to be known with a sufficient degree of precision.
Recent research activities:
- Separation and purification of valued compounds from biorefineries, metals from waste and side streams, nutrients and other recyclable materials by crystallization and precipitation.
- Identification of critical impurities and their separation from solutions.
- Crystallization of mesocrystals for pharmaceutical applications.
- Regeneration of chemicals: concentration of aqueous solutions containing green solvents by freezing.
- Pre-treatment of aqueous electrolyte solutions to remove fine particles by microfiltration and organic compounds by adsorption containing.
- Real-time monitoring of crystal growth and nucleation kinetics and separation efficiency of microfiltration.
Our lab and facilities:
- We have good facilities consisting of a laboratory scale stirred tank station which allows studies on continuous, semi-batch and batch process mode at ambient or lower pressures. The station is equipped with a calorimeter and accurate temperature control system. Various crystallization methods, such as cooling crystallization, evaporative crystallization, reactive crystallization and anti-solvent crystallization, can be investigated.
- Melt crystallization devices for layer and suspension crystallization studies.
- Solid-liquid equilibria research based on thermal analysis methods, solubility measurements and optical detection of saturation point of solutions.
- Realtime monitoring of chord lengths of particulates in fluids.
- Thermodynamic modeling of electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions.
- Vacuum and pressure test filters for filterability studies to determine principle filtration parameters.
Research group members:
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Latest publications:
Effects of Assisting Solvents on Purification Efficiency in the Layer Melt Crystallization of Glycerol
Mitra Ila, Kim Miikki, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2024
Crystal Growth and Design
Influence of Viscosity on Variously Scaled Batch Cooling Crystallization from Aqueous Erythritol, Glucose, Xylitol, and Xylose Solutions
Anna Zaykovskaya, Bernadeth Amano, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2024
Crystal Growth and Design
Process monitoring of cobalt carbonate precipitation by reactions between cobalt sulfate and sodium carbonate solutions to control product morphology and purity
Jianxin Zhang, Rajaboopathi Mani, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2024
Hydrometallurgy
Recovering Cobalt from Aqueous Solutions by Evaporative, Reactive, and Cooling Crystallization
Jianxin Zhang
2024
Fe3+ and Al3+ removal by phosphate and hydroxide precipitation from synthetic NMC Li-ion battery leach solution
Alexander Chernyaev, Jianxin Zhang, Sipi Seisko, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen, Mari Lundström
2023
Scientific Reports
Gamma-valerolactone biorefinery: Catalyzed birch fractionation and valorization of pulping streams with solvent recovery
Marianna Granatier, Huy Quang Lê, Yibo Ma, Marja Rissanen, Inge Schlapp-Hackl, Daryna Diment, Anna Zaykovskaya, Juha-Pekka Pokki, Mikhail Balakshin, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen, Ville Alopaeus, Herbert Sixta
2023
Heliyon
Purification of monoethylene glycol by melt crystallization
M. Ila, M. Louhi-Kultanen
2023
Chemical Engineering Science
Special Issue: 27th International Workshop on Industrial Crystallization (BIWIC 2022)
Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2023
Chemical Engineering and Technology
Nonclassical Crystallization and Core-Shell Structure Formation of Ibuprofen from Binary Solvent Solutions
Rajaboopathi Mani, Leena Peltonen, Clare J. Strachan, Maarit Karppinen, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2023
Crystal Growth and Design
1-Butanol Separation from Aqueous Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) Solutions by Freeze Concentration
Nahla Osmanbegovic, Vijaya Chandgude, Sandip Bankar, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2023
Crystal Growth and Design
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