Pub Date : 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2025.110682
Zhenyue Zhang , Yu Li , Ningjie Sun , Zhancheng Guo , Ru’an Chi , Zhe Wang , Yuan Li , Bolin Sun
The addition of Mg in Zn-Al-Mg coating exacerbates the suspended dross, and the suspended dross removal is benefit to achieve defect-free coatings and cost saving on cleaning dross. The Fe-containing phase was the dominant inclusion particles in Zn-Al-Mg galvanized liquid and precipitated in quantity below 550 °C in theory. The supergravity-induced filtration with Al2O3 ceramic foam filter (Al2O3 CFF) was able to efficiently remove the Fe-containing phase. Under the condition of 450 °C for temperature, 50 for gravity coefficient and the Al2O3 CFF with porosity of 170 ppi and thickness of 20 mm, the removal ratio of Fe (RFe), loss percentage of Al (LAl), loss percentage of Mg (LMg) and the yield of zinc (YZn) reached 97 %, 40 %, 16 % and 88 %, respectively. And further the continuously supergravity-induced filtration for purification of Zn-Al-Mg galvanized liquid was achieved.
{"title":"Efficient method to filter Zn-Al-Mg galvanized liquid by using supergravity technology","authors":"Zhenyue Zhang , Yu Li , Ningjie Sun , Zhancheng Guo , Ru’an Chi , Zhe Wang , Yuan Li , Bolin Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The addition of Mg in Zn-Al-Mg coating exacerbates the suspended dross, and the suspended dross removal is benefit to achieve defect-free coatings and cost saving on cleaning dross. The Fe-containing phase was the dominant inclusion particles in Zn-Al-Mg galvanized liquid and precipitated in quantity below 550 °C in theory. The supergravity-induced filtration with Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> ceramic foam filter (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> CFF) was able to efficiently remove the Fe-containing phase. Under the condition of 450 °C for temperature, 50 for gravity coefficient and the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> CFF with porosity of 170 ppi and thickness of 20 mm, the removal ratio of Fe (<em>R<sub>Fe</sub></em>), loss percentage of Al (<em>L<sub>Al</sub></em>), loss percentage of Mg (<em>L<sub>Mg</sub></em>) and the yield of zinc (<em>Y<sub>Zn</sub></em>) reached 97 %, 40 %, 16 % and 88 %, respectively. And further the continuously supergravity-induced filtration for purification of Zn-Al-Mg galvanized liquid was achieved.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 110682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The efficient separation of olefin/paraffin mixtures is a key challenge in the petrochemical industry. Conventional extractive distillation processes often suffer from high extractant circulation rates and excessive energy consumption, making the development of new extractants with superior performance crucial for reducing process costs and enhancing separation efficiency. This study addresses the separation challenge of the n-pentane/1-pentene system. It systematically evaluates extractant selection and the extractive distillation process by integrating thermodynamic modeling, experimental measurements, and process simulation. First, the extraction performance of six commonly used organic solvents was simulated and compared using Aspen Plus software. Based on relative volatility analysis, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was selected as the baseline extractant. Building on this, the COSMO-RS theoretical model was employed to predict the solubility and selectivity of various ionic liquids (ILs). Eventually, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTF₂])—with a selectivity of 3.01—was chosen as a co-extractant to be used in combination with DMF. Subsequently, liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) experiments were conducted for two ternary systems: n-pentane–1-pentene–[EMIM][NTF₂] and n-pentane–DMF–[EMIM][NTF₂]. The experimental data were correlated using the NRTL activity coefficient model to obtain reliable binary interaction parameters, and the model accuracy was verified by comparing predicted values with experimental results. Based on the obtained thermodynamic parameters, the extractive distillation processes using the pure DMF solvent system and the DMF-[EMIM][NTF₂] mixed solvent system were simulated in Aspen Plus, followed by a comparative analysis of their energy consumption. The results show that compared with the conventional DMF process, the mixed solvent system reduces the total reboiler heat load by 11.81% and the condenser heat load by 23.92%, while significantly decreasing the extractant circulation rate from 600 kg/h to 310 kg/h. These findings provide important theoretical guidance and experimental evidence for the separation of olefin/paraffin mixtures.
{"title":"Ionic liquid enhanced extractive distillation for the separation of n-pentane/1-pentene","authors":"Haoyang Xu, Mingcheng Zheng, Xiaoping Chen, Hui Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The efficient separation of olefin/paraffin mixtures is a key challenge in the petrochemical industry. Conventional extractive distillation processes often suffer from high extractant circulation rates and excessive energy consumption, making the development of new extractants with superior performance crucial for reducing process costs and enhancing separation efficiency. This study addresses the separation challenge of the n-pentane/1-pentene system. It systematically evaluates extractant selection and the extractive distillation process by integrating thermodynamic modeling, experimental measurements, and process simulation. First, the extraction performance of six commonly used organic solvents was simulated and compared using Aspen Plus software. Based on relative volatility analysis, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was selected as the baseline extractant. Building on this, the COSMO-RS theoretical model was employed to predict the solubility and selectivity of various ionic liquids (ILs). Eventually, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTF₂])—with a selectivity of 3.01—was chosen as a co-extractant to be used in combination with DMF. Subsequently, liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) experiments were conducted for two ternary systems: n-pentane–1-pentene–[EMIM][NTF₂] and n-pentane–DMF–[EMIM][NTF₂]. The experimental data were correlated using the NRTL activity coefficient model to obtain reliable binary interaction parameters, and the model accuracy was verified by comparing predicted values with experimental results. Based on the obtained thermodynamic parameters, the extractive distillation processes using the pure DMF solvent system and the DMF-[EMIM][NTF₂] mixed solvent system were simulated in Aspen Plus, followed by a comparative analysis of their energy consumption. The results show that compared with the conventional DMF process, the mixed solvent system reduces the total reboiler heat load by 11.81% and the condenser heat load by 23.92%, while significantly decreasing the extractant circulation rate from 600 kg/h to 310 kg/h. These findings provide important theoretical guidance and experimental evidence for the separation of olefin/paraffin mixtures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110678"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2025.110679
Kouadio Jean Eric-Parfait Kouamé , Ebenezer Ola Falade , Yanyun Zhu , Yunyun Zheng , Ishtiaq Ahmad , Bingge Liu , Ibourahema Coulibaly , Xingqian Ye
Hemicellulose-rich insoluble dietary fibers (IDFs) derived from distillers’ grains of wheat, sorghum, and corn offer considerable potential as health-promoting ingredients. However, their properties depend on extraction and modification methods. This study compared conventional (ultrasound-UAE, microwave-MAE, and alkali-assisted-AK) and intensified hybrid methods, focusing on microwave–alkaline (MK) and ultrasound–microwave–alkaline (UMK) treatments and their enzymatic variants (MMK and MUMK). These integrated strategies combined mechanical, thermal, and biochemical actions to optimize fiber architecture and functionality. Intensified processes enhanced porosity, hydrophilicity, and surface reactivity, leading to superior hydration, adsorption, and probiotic performance. MUMK showed the highest water-holding capacity (4.95 g/g; +101 % vs DGs) and functionality (GFI = 78 %), while UMK exhibited the greatest cholesterol adsorption (36.07 mg/g) and pH stability (pH7/pH2 = 2.46). Biologically, intensified treatments improved Lactobacillus acidophilus growth and adhesion, with MK showing the best fermentation efficiency (AUC = 41.11 OD·h) and MMK reaching 85.96 % adhesion. These findings demonstrate that coupling mechanical disruption, alkaline hydrolysis, and enzymatic depolymerization enhances reactive sites and probiotic–fiber interactions. Overall, MK, UMK, MMK, and MUMK effectively convert distillers’ grains into multifunctional IDFs with balanced hydration, lipid-binding, and probiotic-supporting properties, providing a sustainable valorization route aligned with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
{"title":"Sustainable valorization of distillers’ grains: Intensified extraction and modification strategies for functional fiber development","authors":"Kouadio Jean Eric-Parfait Kouamé , Ebenezer Ola Falade , Yanyun Zhu , Yunyun Zheng , Ishtiaq Ahmad , Bingge Liu , Ibourahema Coulibaly , Xingqian Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hemicellulose-rich insoluble dietary fibers (IDFs) derived from distillers’ grains of wheat, sorghum, and corn offer considerable potential as health-promoting ingredients. However, their properties depend on extraction and modification methods. This study compared conventional (ultrasound-UAE, microwave-MAE, and alkali-assisted-AK) and intensified hybrid methods, focusing on microwave–alkaline (MK) and ultrasound–microwave–alkaline (UMK) treatments and their enzymatic variants (MMK and MUMK). These integrated strategies combined mechanical, thermal, and biochemical actions to optimize fiber architecture and functionality. Intensified processes enhanced porosity, hydrophilicity, and surface reactivity, leading to superior hydration, adsorption, and probiotic performance. MUMK showed the highest water-holding capacity (4.95 g/g; +101 % vs DGs) and functionality (GFI = 78 %), while UMK exhibited the greatest cholesterol adsorption (36.07 mg/g) and pH stability (pH7/pH2 = 2.46). Biologically, intensified treatments improved <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em> growth and adhesion, with MK showing the best fermentation efficiency (AUC = 41.11 OD·h) and MMK reaching 85.96 % adhesion. These findings demonstrate that coupling mechanical disruption, alkaline hydrolysis, and enzymatic depolymerization enhances reactive sites and probiotic–fiber interactions. Overall, MK, UMK, MMK, and MUMK effectively convert distillers’ grains into multifunctional IDFs with balanced hydration, lipid-binding, and probiotic-supporting properties, providing a sustainable valorization route aligned with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110679"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Water and energy are interlinked resources vital to development. As desalination grows to meet water demand, energy-efficient methods lag. This research explores a process-intensified freezing-based desalination of high-salinity brines, utilizing cryogenic energy from regasification of liquefied natural gas to enhance efficiency and sustainability. Experimental studies were performed using a jacketed cylindrical crystallizer to investigate the impact of brine salinity (3–10 wt% total dissolved solids) on ice formation, water recovery, and product quality. These findings, combined with analysis of liquefied natural gas regasification processes and thermo-physical properties, informed the design of a multi-stage freeze desalination system. The intrinsic cold energy of liquefied natural gas is repurposed for brine cooling and ice crystallization, thereby eliminating the need for conventional refrigeration systems and enhancing overall energy efficiency. A case study was conducted to desalinate a 5 wt% feed brine using a three-stage freeze desalination system integrated with liquefied natural gas cryogenic energy. Material and energy balances confirmed that the available refrigeration load in liquefied natural gas is sufficient to drive freeze desalination. An overall product water recovery of 50% and a desalination efficiency of 96% were achieved, corresponding to the recovery of 0.4 tons of product water per ton of regasified liquefied natural gas. The integration of cryogenic energy of liquefied natural gas into the desalination workflow exemplifies process intensification by enabling energy-efficient treatment of hypersaline waste streams through synergistic energy recovery and system integration.
{"title":"Process intensification of multistage freeze desalination for high-salinity brines utilizing LNG cryogenic energy: Advancing the water-energy nexus","authors":"Parul Sahu , Rutvi Khakhar , Bhargav B. Joshi , Hemali Masani","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110677","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110677","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water and energy are interlinked resources vital to development. As desalination grows to meet water demand, energy-efficient methods lag. This research explores a process-intensified freezing-based desalination of high-salinity brines, utilizing cryogenic energy from regasification of liquefied natural gas to enhance efficiency and sustainability. Experimental studies were performed using a jacketed cylindrical crystallizer to investigate the impact of brine salinity (3–10 wt% total dissolved solids) on ice formation, water recovery, and product quality. These findings, combined with analysis of liquefied natural gas regasification processes and thermo-physical properties, informed the design of a multi-stage freeze desalination system. The intrinsic cold energy of liquefied natural gas is repurposed for brine cooling and ice crystallization, thereby eliminating the need for conventional refrigeration systems and enhancing overall energy efficiency. A case study was conducted to desalinate a 5 wt% feed brine using a three-stage freeze desalination system integrated with liquefied natural gas cryogenic energy. Material and energy balances confirmed that the available refrigeration load in liquefied natural gas is sufficient to drive freeze desalination. An overall product water recovery of 50% and a desalination efficiency of 96% were achieved, corresponding to the recovery of 0.4 tons of product water per ton of regasified liquefied natural gas. The integration of cryogenic energy of liquefied natural gas into the desalination workflow exemplifies process intensification by enabling energy-efficient treatment of hypersaline waste streams through synergistic energy recovery and system integration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110677"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2025.110676
Carlos Mario Giraldo Atehortua , Agesinaldo Matos Silva Jr. , Luiz Octávio Vieira Pereira , José Henrique Lopes , Flávio Buiochi , Marcos Sales Guerra Tsuzuki
High-frequency ultrasound for separating crude-oil-in-water microemulsions-typical of oily wastewater from oil production—remains underexplored. We investigate 1 MHz standing-wave treatment using two resonant chambers (no-flow and flow), each with automatic resonance control. The acoustic radiation force promotes droplet migration, collisions, and coalescence, enhancing oil–water disengagement without chemical additives. Experiments varied input power and sonication time to assess separation performance for synthetic microemulsions with low oil content. In the no-flow regime, % oil removal was achieved after 2 min at 40 W, versus 3.6% for a non-acoustic reference. In the flow regime (100 cm min−1), 30 min at 80 W yielded nearly 66% removal, compared with 28% for the reference. These results demonstrate that MHz-range standing waves can deliver rapid, additive-free phase separation in compact equipment. The approach offers a promising complementary step for oily wastewater treatment, enabling reduced chemical demand, shortened residence times, and modular process integration.
用于分离水包原油微乳液的高频超声技术（石油生产中含油废水的典型特征）仍未得到充分开发。我们使用两个共振腔（无流和有流）研究1 MHz驻波处理，每个谐振腔都有自动谐振控制。声辐射力促进液滴迁移、碰撞和聚并，在没有化学添加剂的情况下增强油水分离。实验通过改变输入功率和超声时间来评价低含油量合成微乳的分离性能。在无流工况下，在40 W条件下，2分钟后除油率达到70%，而在无声学条件下，这一比例为3.6%。在流量（100 cm3 min - 1）下，80 W下30分钟的去除率接近66%，而参考值为28%。这些结果表明，mhz范围的驻波可以在紧凑型设备中实现快速、无添加剂的相分离。该方法为含油废水处理提供了一个有希望的补充步骤，可以减少化学品需求，缩短停留时间，并实现模块化过程集成。
{"title":"High-frequency ultrasound separation of crude-oil-in-water microemulsions","authors":"Carlos Mario Giraldo Atehortua , Agesinaldo Matos Silva Jr. , Luiz Octávio Vieira Pereira , José Henrique Lopes , Flávio Buiochi , Marcos Sales Guerra Tsuzuki","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-frequency ultrasound for separating crude-oil-in-water microemulsions-typical of oily wastewater from oil production—remains underexplored. We investigate 1 MHz standing-wave treatment using two resonant chambers (no-flow and flow), each with automatic resonance control. The acoustic radiation force promotes droplet migration, collisions, and coalescence, enhancing oil–water disengagement without chemical additives. Experiments varied input power and sonication time to assess separation performance for synthetic microemulsions with low oil content. In the no-flow regime, <span><math><mrow><mn>70</mn></mrow></math></span>% oil removal was achieved after 2 min at 40 W, versus 3.6% for a non-acoustic reference. In the flow regime (100 cm<span><math><msup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></math></span> min<sup>−1</sup>), 30 min at 80 W yielded nearly 66% removal, compared with 28% for the reference. These results demonstrate that MHz-range standing waves can deliver rapid, additive-free phase separation in compact equipment. The approach offers a promising complementary step for oily wastewater treatment, enabling reduced chemical demand, shortened residence times, and modular process integration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 110676"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-23DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2025.110669
Zhishan Zhang, Kunao Zhu, Siyuan Li, Yuqing Meng, Min Li, Yixin Ma, Jun Gao
In the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, a large amount of wastewater containing acetonitrile (ACN) and tert‑butanol (TBA) is generated. The effective separation of the ACN/TBA/water system poses a significant challenge due to the presence of multiple azeotropes. To overcome the limitations of high energy consumption and low efficiency of conventional extractive distillation (CED), this study proposes three reaction-coupled extractive distillation processes—reactive distillation followed by extractive distillation (RD-ED), extractive distillation followed by reactive distillation (ED-RD), and reactive-extractive distillation (RED). During the process optimization aimed at the total annual cost (TAC) and CO2 emissions, since the azeotropes of ACN/water and ACN/TBA are pressure-sensitive, the pressure of ACN extractive distillation column is optimized, resulting in significant energy savings. These processes are comprehensively compared in terms of economy, environmental impact, energy, and exergy efficiency. The results indicate that compared with the CED, the reaction-coupled extractive distillation processes have achieved significant optimization effects in multiple aspects. Among them, the RED process exhibits the optimal comprehensive performance: the TAC is reduced by 33.82 %, CO2 emissions are decreased by 40.44 %, the total energy consumption is lowered by 41.55 %, and the thermodynamic efficiency is increased to 27.93 %.
{"title":"Optimal design and performance comparison of reaction-coupled extractive distillation processes for acetonitrile-tert-butanol-water system","authors":"Zhishan Zhang, Kunao Zhu, Siyuan Li, Yuqing Meng, Min Li, Yixin Ma, Jun Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110669","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110669","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, a large amount of wastewater containing acetonitrile (ACN) and tert‑butanol (TBA) is generated. The effective separation of the ACN/TBA/water system poses a significant challenge due to the presence of multiple azeotropes. To overcome the limitations of high energy consumption and low efficiency of conventional extractive distillation (CED), this study proposes three reaction-coupled extractive distillation processes—reactive distillation followed by extractive distillation (RD-ED), extractive distillation followed by reactive distillation (ED-RD), and reactive-extractive distillation (RED). During the process optimization aimed at the total annual cost (TAC) and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, since the azeotropes of ACN/water and ACN/TBA are pressure-sensitive, the pressure of ACN extractive distillation column is optimized, resulting in significant energy savings. These processes are comprehensively compared in terms of economy, environmental impact, energy, and exergy efficiency. The results indicate that compared with the CED, the reaction-coupled extractive distillation processes have achieved significant optimization effects in multiple aspects. Among them, the RED process exhibits the optimal comprehensive performance: the TAC is reduced by 33.82 %, CO<sub>2</sub> emissions are decreased by 40.44 %, the total energy consumption is lowered by 41.55 %, and the thermodynamic efficiency is increased to 27.93 %.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110669"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Concentration gradient chip is indispensable in drug screening, efficacy evaluation, and related biomedical research. However, the traditional Christmas tree-shaped concentration gradient chip has inherent limitations. Its laminar flow mixing efficiency is low, and the operating flow rate range is narrow, which seriously hinders its application and development in drug screening. To address these technical bottlenecks, this study proposes two novel micromixers: a micromixer based on two-dimensional secondary flow and three-dimensional rectangular structure (TSTR-S), and a micromixer based on Bézier curves and three-dimensional polygonal structure (BCTP-S). These micromixers are used to replace the micromixing channels in the traditional Christmas tree model. The research adopts a method of theoretical modeling, numerical simulation to systematically explore the impact of the novel structures on concentration gradient generation. The results show that compared with the traditional structure, the two-dimensional secondary flow structure significantly improves the laminar flow mixing efficiency and effectively broadens the applicable flow rate range. The optimized Bézier curve configuration and irregular polygonal three-dimensional structure further enhance the fluid eddy effect and improve the mixing performance. The improved chip can stably generate a linear concentration gradient within a wide flow rate range of Reynolds number Re = 0.1–30, and the concentration error is obviously reduced. This study provides an innovative solution for improving the performance of concentration gradient chips, offers a more accurate and efficient platform for drug screening, and benefits the development of microfluidic technology in drug research and development.
{"title":"Application of secondary flow and Bézier curve-polygon micromixing structure in Christmas tree-shaped concentration gradient chips","authors":"Zhiying Dai, Huanhuan Shi, Weizheng Xu, Xuanhao Jia, Zhengxian Dan, Jiacong Liao, Chenyang Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Concentration gradient chip is indispensable in drug screening, efficacy evaluation, and related biomedical research. However, the traditional Christmas tree-shaped concentration gradient chip has inherent limitations. Its laminar flow mixing efficiency is low, and the operating flow rate range is narrow, which seriously hinders its application and development in drug screening. To address these technical bottlenecks, this study proposes two novel micromixers: a micromixer based on two-dimensional secondary flow and three-dimensional rectangular structure (TSTR-S), and a micromixer based on Bézier curves and three-dimensional polygonal structure (BCTP-S). These micromixers are used to replace the micromixing channels in the traditional Christmas tree model. The research adopts a method of theoretical modeling, numerical simulation to systematically explore the impact of the novel structures on concentration gradient generation. The results show that compared with the traditional structure, the two-dimensional secondary flow structure significantly improves the laminar flow mixing efficiency and effectively broadens the applicable flow rate range. The optimized Bézier curve configuration and irregular polygonal three-dimensional structure further enhance the fluid eddy effect and improve the mixing performance. The improved chip can stably generate a linear concentration gradient within a wide flow rate range of Reynolds number <em>Re</em> = 0.1–30, and the concentration error is obviously reduced. This study provides an innovative solution for improving the performance of concentration gradient chips, offers a more accurate and efficient platform for drug screening, and benefits the development of microfluidic technology in drug research and development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110668"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2025.110667
Syed Ejaz Haider , Joseph Install , Miia Kokkonen , Timo Repo , Ville Alopaeus
Microwave technology offers rapid, selective, and efficient heating, making it a valuable tool for process intensification. In this context, this study employed microwave energy for rapid reaction optimization and reliable kinetic analysis for the catalytic conversion of glucose. Dehydration (DeH) and retro-aldol condensation (RAC) are two main routes for the catalytic conversion of glucose into valuable platform chemicals such as levulinic acid, methyl lactate, and other byproducts. Both DeH and RAC reactions were analyzed together in this study, taking into account their competitive nature. The experimental investigation focused on examining the effects of solvent composition (0–100 % H2O with methanol as cosolvent), reaction temperature (140–180 °C), and catalyst-to-feed molar ratios (0.05–0.21) on the parallel Deh (HMF, levulinic acid, and methyl levulinate) and RAC (lactic acid and methyl lactate) reactions with the modern automated Chemspeed Swing synthesis apparatus equipped with a Biotage microwave reactor. The homogeneous Lewis acid (SnCl4·5H2O) was selected as a catalyst through our initial screening due to its activity for both DeH and RAC reactions. The experiments, conducted for 15 min under microwave irradiation, revealed that the highest yield of levulinic acid (50.5 mol %) was achieved in pure water at 180 °C, while the highest yield of methyl lactate (75.9 mol%) was obtained in a solvent mixture comprising 7.5 % water and 92.5 % methanol at 180 °C. Subsequently, rate models based on the power law kinetics were proposed, and the numerical values of the model parameters were determined from the screening experimental data using non-linear regression analysis with Aspen Plus software. These model parameters were further fine-tuned with additional time-resolved experiments performed under the optimal conditions identified for levulinic acid and methyl lactate. The model responses were in very good agreement with the experimental results. The rate equations with the kinetic parameters can be used for the reactor modeling, simulation, and optimization.
{"title":"Experimental and kinetic study of the microwave-assisted catalytic conversion of glucose","authors":"Syed Ejaz Haider , Joseph Install , Miia Kokkonen , Timo Repo , Ville Alopaeus","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110667","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110667","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microwave technology offers rapid, selective, and efficient heating, making it a valuable tool for process intensification. In this context, this study employed microwave energy for rapid reaction optimization and reliable kinetic analysis for the catalytic conversion of glucose. Dehydration (DeH) and retro-aldol condensation (RAC) are two main routes for the catalytic conversion of glucose into valuable platform chemicals such as levulinic acid, methyl lactate, and other byproducts. Both DeH and RAC reactions were analyzed together in this study, taking into account their competitive nature. The experimental investigation focused on examining the effects of solvent composition (0–100 % H<sub>2</sub>O with methanol as cosolvent), reaction temperature (140–180 °C), and catalyst-to-feed molar ratios (0.05–0.21) on the parallel Deh (HMF, levulinic acid, and methyl levulinate) and RAC (lactic acid and methyl lactate) reactions with the modern automated Chemspeed Swing synthesis apparatus equipped with a Biotage microwave reactor. The homogeneous Lewis acid (SnCl<sub>4</sub>·5H<sub>2</sub>O) was selected as a catalyst through our initial screening due to its activity for both DeH and RAC reactions. The experiments, conducted for 15 min under microwave irradiation, revealed that the highest yield of levulinic acid (50.5 mol %) was achieved in pure water at 180 °C, while the highest yield of methyl lactate (75.9 mol%) was obtained in a solvent mixture comprising 7.5 % water and 92.5 % methanol at 180 °C. Subsequently, rate models based on the power law kinetics were proposed, and the numerical values of the model parameters were determined from the screening experimental data using non-linear regression analysis with Aspen Plus software. These model parameters were further fine-tuned with additional time-resolved experiments performed under the optimal conditions identified for levulinic acid and methyl lactate. The model responses were in very good agreement with the experimental results. The rate equations with the kinetic parameters can be used for the reactor modeling, simulation, and optimization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110667"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145838173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Supersonic separators, which utilize pressure energy to remove water vapor from natural gas, are characterized by their high efficiency and energy-efficient operation. However, the existing analysis of the condensation flow in it fails to fully consider the influence of the surface properties of the impurity particles. This study develops a two-fluid simulation framework that incorporates particle surface energy. The framework is used to evaluate how particle parameters affect condensation performance and pressure drop. The results show that particle surface wettability, radius and concentration have significant effects on the condensation and pressure loss. A 37.32% enhancement in liquid content at the discharge port was observed when the particle contact angle was reduced. The influence of particle contact angle on condensation varies with particle size and concentration: smaller radii amplify its impact, whereas lower particle counts enhance its significance. A dimensionless number, the coefficient of condensation pressure loss γc, is proposed to characterize the magnitude of pressure loss due to condensation. The analysis shows that γc increases with the increase of contact angle, and that γc decreases by 32.46% when Np decreases from 1 × 1017 /m3 to 1 × 1014 /m3; by 24.72% when rp decreases from 1 × 10–9 m to 1 × 10–7 m.
{"title":"Effect of insoluble particles as nucleation cores on the condensation flow of water vapor in a supersonic separator","authors":"Weiwei Xu, Shengxiao Li, Xinyu Wang, Fuhao Wang, Bingyang Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110666","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110666","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Supersonic separators, which utilize pressure energy to remove water vapor from natural gas, are characterized by their high efficiency and energy-efficient operation. However, the existing analysis of the condensation flow in it fails to fully consider the influence of the surface properties of the impurity particles. This study develops a two-fluid simulation framework that incorporates particle surface energy. The framework is used to evaluate how particle parameters affect condensation performance and pressure drop. The results show that particle surface wettability, radius and concentration have significant effects on the condensation and pressure loss. A 37.32% enhancement in liquid content at the discharge port was observed when the particle contact angle was reduced. The influence of particle contact angle on condensation varies with particle size and concentration: smaller radii amplify its impact, whereas lower particle counts enhance its significance. A dimensionless number, the coefficient of condensation pressure loss <em>γ<sub>c</sub></em>, is proposed to characterize the magnitude of pressure loss due to condensation. The analysis shows that <em>γ<sub>c</sub></em> increases with the increase of contact angle, and that <em>γ<sub>c</sub></em> decreases by 32.46% when <em>N<sub>p</sub></em> decreases from 1 × 10<sup>17</sup> /m<sup>3</sup> to 1 × 10<sup>14</sup> /m3; by 24.72% when <em>r<sub>p</sub></em> decreases from 1 × 10<sup>–9</sup> m to 1 × 10<sup>–7</sup> m.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110666"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145838174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carbon-supported platinum nanoparticles are highly efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), yet their conventional synthesis suffers from batch-to-batch variability and scalability limitations. In this work we develop an environmentally friendly and simple microfluidic synthesis of Pt nanoparticles and their deposition on a carbon support during the growth inside a flow reactor. A stable flow was achieved in segmented gas/liquid regime using a pressurized reactor, and ultrasonic treatment was applied to prevent the sedimentation of the carbon particles in the droplet generator. Pt reduction in ethylene glycol in microfluidic conditions results in the formation of nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution (3 ± 1.1 nm) on the surface of carbon for elevated reaction temperatures 115–125 °C. The obtained materials demonstrate electrochemical performance comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst and surpass it in terms of stability. This work establishes microfluidic process intensification as a scalable, continuous alternative to batch synthesis of nanostructured materials on Pt-based for hydrogen energy.
{"title":"One-step microfluidic synthesis of active nanostructured Pt/C electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction","authors":"I.O. Nechitailova , Yu.A. Pankova , M.E.A. Eid , D.Yu. Molodtsov , A.A. Tereshchenko , I.V. Pankov , A.V. Soldatov , A.A. Guda , A.A. Alekseenko , A.D. Zagrebaev","doi":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110665","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cep.2025.110665","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon-supported platinum nanoparticles are highly efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), yet their conventional synthesis suffers from batch-to-batch variability and scalability limitations. In this work we develop an environmentally friendly and simple microfluidic synthesis of Pt nanoparticles and their deposition on a carbon support during the growth inside a flow reactor. A stable flow was achieved in segmented gas/liquid regime using a pressurized reactor, and ultrasonic treatment was applied to prevent the sedimentation of the carbon particles in the droplet generator. Pt reduction in ethylene glycol in microfluidic conditions results in the formation of nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution (3 ± 1.1 nm) on the surface of carbon for elevated reaction temperatures 115–125 °C. The obtained materials demonstrate electrochemical performance comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst and surpass it in terms of stability. This work establishes microfluidic process intensification as a scalable, continuous alternative to batch synthesis of nanostructured materials on Pt-based for hydrogen energy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9929,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 110665"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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