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        <title>Frontiers in Chemical Engineering | Materials Process Engineering section | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemical-engineering/sections/materials-process-engineering</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Materials Process Engineering section in the Frontiers in Chemical Engineering journal | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
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        <pubDate>2026-04-10T05:47:09.566+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1640523</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1640523</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A combined experimental-numerical investigation of two-phase self-cleaning drop modulation by amphiphilic component addition]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-12-12T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Brief Research Report</category>
        <author>Shreyas Vijayendra Kumar</author><author>Henrik Ström</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Industrial plate heat exchangers for cooling of complex, condensing gas mixtures are possible to operate in a self-cleaning mode if a stable flow of small, spherical-like, motile drops can be realized over the heat transfer surfaces. Here, we investigate the effects of adding an amphiphilic component (benzoic acid) to a pure air/water system in terms of providing the necessary prerequisites for such a functionality. The equilibrium apparent (static) advancing and receding contact angles are measured experimentally at varying inclinations and used to inform multiphase direct numerical simulations using the Volume-of-Fluid method. The simulations enable quantification of the distortion of drops caused by the combined gas-liquid-plate interaction in the presence of flow. It is found that the addition of benzoic acid lowers the apparent contact angles, and that the magnitude of this effect is dependent on the plate surface treatment – being more pronounced on a hydrophobically modified plate than on a hydrophilically modified one. The addition of benzoic acid increases the wetting of the drop on the surface and decreases the flow-exposed gas-liquid interface, although both these effects are relatively modest in magnitude. It is suggested that two-phase heat exchangers relying on self-cleaning mechanisms are relatively immune to the presence of low concentrations of amphiphilic impurities that are chemically similar to benzoic acid. The present work thus highlights the role of combined experimental-numerical approaches to gain insight into process phenomena that are not readily amenable to only experiments or only modeling.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1695014</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1695014</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Challenges and solutions for nanofiltration membranes in water treatment]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-10-03T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Minghan Su</author><author>Yujing Zhang</author><author>Shunda Liu</author><author>Yafei Wang</author><author>Tiantian Li</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are a pressure-driven membrane separation technology that lies between reverse osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF), featuring selective separation of low-molecular-weight organic compounds, divalent ions, and some monovalent ions. Due to their low operating pressure, low energy consumption, and ability to efficiently desalinate while retaining some beneficial minerals, NF membranes have shown broad application prospects in drinking water purification, wastewater treatment, food and pharmaceutical industries, and resource recovery. This article systematically reviews the existing challenges (including trade-off effect between selectivity and flux, membrane fouling and insufficient chemical stability) and the corresponding countermeasures from the perspectives of material modification and structural design, etc., with the aim of providing references for further research and industrial application of NF membranes.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1539379</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1539379</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Solvent extraction pathways to sustainable industrial processes: new solvents, modelling, and design method]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-12-17T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Sophie Charton</author><author>Mark Hlawitschka</author><author>Guangsheng Luo</author><author>Antonio Buffo</author><author>Hans-Jörg Bart</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1507921</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1507921</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Thermophysical, and rheological insights of polyethylene/wax blends]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-12-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Thobile L. Mhlabeni</author><author>Tamba Jamiru</author><author>Washington Mhike</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Blending wax with polyethylene (PE) has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its potential to enhance processing capabilities of polyethylene-based products. The miscibility of polyethylene and low molecular mass wax blends is a critical factor influencing various industrial applications. In this study, the theoretical framework of the miscibility of polyethylene/wax blends is discussed in terms of thermodynamic principles. The state-of-the-art of miscibility of polyethylene/wax blends is comprehensively examined, focusing on their thermophysical and rheological properties. It is shown that thermophysical properties assessed by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis can provide insights into thermal transitions affected by blend composition. Furthermore, the rheological properties of blends can provide insights into their microstructure, phase behaviour, and interaction between components. Literature search of the influence of wax compositions and temperature on the polyethene/wax compatibility was shown to be inconsistent. Also, studies on the miscibility of paraffin and Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) wax/polyethene blends is limited. However, the review suggests full miscibility of low molecular mass waxes and polyethylene in the melt and partial co-crystallisation in the solid state.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1451187</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1451187</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Comparative study on lubrication properties of biodiesel and bio-lubricant trans-esterified from desert seed oil with conventional lubricants]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-08-14T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>M. O. Adeoti</author><author>T. Jamiru</author><author>T. A. Adegbola</author><author>M. Abdullahi</author><author>I. Sulaiman</author><author>B.P. Aramide</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on renewable and biodegradable energy sources among lubricant manufacturers due to the environmental impacts and limited availability of fossil-based engine oils. Biomass sources present a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to traditional mineral oil sources. This study aims to produce and characterize biodiesel and biolubricant from desert date seed oil through transesterification. The result of the study was compared with the properties of conventional and commercial lubricants. The study employed transesterification to convert desert date seed oil into biodiesel and biolubricant. The produced biolubricant and biodiesel were characterized to determine their kinematic viscosity at 40°C, specific gravity, flash point, and pour point. These properties were then compared with those of other bio-lubricants and commercial base lubricants. For biodiesel, the yield was 56%, with a favorable acid value (0.98 mg KOH/g), iodine value (43.41 mg/g), and saponification value (197.4 mg KOH/g). Although, the specific gravity (1.876) was higher than ASTM standard. However, the flash point (112°C) and cloud point (11°C) were within acceptable ranges. The biolubricant produced from desert date oil showed promising results with a high kinematic viscosity of 67.54 mm2/s, a specific gravity of 1.876, a flash point of 120°C and a pour point (−5°C). These results obviously suggest the produced lubricant a suitable for automotive applications possessing good low-temperature performance. The flash point result and the physicochemical properties of the oil aligned well with industrial standards. The comparisons revealed that the produced biolubricant closely matched the properties of SAE VG 220 and SAE VG 40. The findings suggest that the biolubricant and biodiesel derived from desert date seed oil can serve as a viable substitute for petroleum-based lubricants in light gear applications and can be effectively used in two-stroke engines, providing a sustainable alternative to conventional lubricants.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1420110</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1420110</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Dry powder coating in manufacturing processes]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-05-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Colin Hare</author><author>Kunn Hadinoto</author><author>Shyamal Das</author><author>Rachel Smith</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1362466</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1362466</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A thick wall concept for robust treatment of contacts in DEM simulation of highly polydisperse particulate systems]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-03-14T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Francesca O. Alfano</author><author>Giovanni Iozzi</author><author>Francesco P. Di Maio</author><author>Alberto Di Renzo</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Modelling particulate systems with the Discrete Element Method (DEM) is an established practice, both in the representation and analysis of natural phenomena and in scale-up and optimization of industrial processes. Since the method allows tracking individual particles, each element can possess geometrical, physical, mechanical or chemical surface properties different from those of the other particles. One example is a polydisperse particulate system, i.e., characterized by a size distribution, opposed to the idealized monodisperse case. In conventional DEM, a softer particle stiffness is commonly adopted to reduce the computational time. It might happen that artificially soft particles, when colliding against a wall boundary, exhibit such large, unrealistic overlap that they “pass through” the wall and exit the domain. In the case of highly polydisperse systems, this often occurs when fine particles are pushed against the wall by coarse particles with masses several orders of magnitude larger. In the manuscript, a novel method is proposed, named thick wall, to allow the particles in contact with the walls to experience relatively large overlaps without ending up ejected out the domain. In particular, a careful way to calculate the particle-wall overlap and force unit vector can accommodate normal displacements larger than the maximum usually allowed, i.e., typically the particle radius, thereby preventing particles from being expelled from the domain. First, critical velocities for which single particles and pairs of fine/coarse particle escape the domain are analytically characterized using the linear and the Hertz models. The thick wall concept is then introduced and its effect on the maximum critical velocity is demonstrated with both contact models. Finally, application to pharmaceutical powder composed of carrier (coarse) and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) (fine) particles in a shaken capsule prove this to be an example of vulnerability to the phenomenon of fine particle ejection and to significantly benefit from the thick wall modification.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1347342</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1347342</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Influence of type of aluminium stearate on triboelectrification of dry-coated surfaces of functionalised glass beads]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-03-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Wei Pin Goh</author><author>Jiachen Guo</author><author>Xiaodong Jia</author><author>Mojtaba Ghadiri</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Triboelectrification of powders and grains is deleterious in a large number of manufacturing operations, due to its adverse effect on process consistency and reliability. To mitigate it, charge neutralisers are commonly employed. However, their selection is often based on trial and error. This study is conducted to systematically examine the influence of the ionic polarity strength of a charge neutraliser, specifically aluminium stearate (AlSt), on charge transfer. AlSt has three types with different numbers of stearate chains, thereby influencing the electron exchange propensity of the molecule. The experiments involved surface-treated glass beads in the sieve size range of 90–150 µm (to make them hydrophilic by acid washing or hydrophobic by silanisation), then coated with the three forms of AlSt (mono-, di- and tri-) for charge mitigation. These coated beads were subjected to aerodynamic dispersion to cause triboelectrification, in order to quantitatively evaluate their charge neutralising effect. The experiments were conducted with four contact surfaces: stainless steel, copper, aluminium, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Both acid-washed and silanised glass beads exhibited negative charging against aluminium, copper and stainless steel (typically around 22–44 nC/g), but positive charging against PTFE (around 90 nC/g and 19 nC/g for acid-washed and silanised, respectively), despite having significantly different surface functional groups. A complex trend is observed for the effect of the amount of AlSt present on the surfaces, the type of AlSt and the surface treatment. A relatively good charge reduction behaviour was seen for AlSt-coated acid washed glass beads, but for silanised glass beads, AlSt coating actually increases their charge level.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1347313</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1347313</link>
        <title><![CDATA[CFD-DEM model of a cold plasma assisted fluidized bed powder coating process]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-02-27T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>P. Martin-Salvador</author><author>R. H. Verschueren</author><author>T. De Beer</author><author>A. Kumar</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Cold plasma coating technology for surface functionalization of pharmaceutical powder particles is a promising approach to introduce new characteristics such as controlled release layers, improved powder flow properties, stability coatings, and binding of active components to the surface. This is typically achieved in a fluidized bed reactor, where a jet containing the chemical precursor and the plasma afterglow is introduced through a nozzle while extra fluidization gas is injected from the bottom plate. However, the process requires proper mixing of the particles and precursor inside the plasma active zone to ensure a homogeneous coating of all particles. Therefore, such coating processes are challenging to optimize, given the complex phenomena involved in fluidization, plasma species reactions, and surface reactions. In this study, we use the CFD-DEM approach as implemented in the CFDEM®coupling package to model the process. The functionalization rate is modeled as mass transfer from the surrounding gas onto the particles, using a plasma coating zone where this transfer may happen. Mass transfer is switched off outside this zone. The DEM contact parameters and drag force are calibrated to our cellulose beads model powder using experimental tests composed by the FT4 rheometer and spouting tests. We show that while the chemistry can make or break the process, the equipment design and process conditions have a non-negligible effect on the coating metrics and thus must be considered. Cases where the fluidization flow is not high enough to produce good mixing have a high coefficient of variation of the coating mass, and therefore, they must be avoided. In addition, we also proposed an extrapolation procedure to provide results at longer coating times, showing that it is possible to predict coating performance even when simulations of the process for more than a minute are not computationally efficient.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1334816</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1334816</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Removal of heavy metals from wastewater using reverse osmosis]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-02-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Vercus Lumami Kapepula</author><author>Patricia Luis</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study presents an overview of and innovations in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane processes for rejecting charged metal ions in wastewater in relation to the main problems associated with purification methods. It also explains the emergence of nanomaterials and the different methods applied for RO membrane modification to improve performance. Membrane regeneration and retentate management are also considered. The study concludes with an economic feasibility study for the industrial scale-up of the methodology.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1307309</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1307309</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Ultrafine food powders as clean-label flow additives]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-01-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sebastian Kleinschmidt</author><author>Isa Heide</author><author>Thomas Kleinschmidt</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The aim of this work was to demonstrate the potential of the concept of clean-label-capable flow additives. These are spray-dried food ingredients whose particle size is small enough (<10 µm) to take over the function of classic flow additives such as highly dispersed silicas. Their acceptance by customers and consumers has been declining for years, as they are primarily mineral excipients that are becoming increasingly unpopular in foods. This poses major problems for the food industry, as many food powders have poor flow properties and handling problems. The idea of clean-label flow additives is to create an alternative to meet consumer demands and industry requirements. Using four different cohesive food powders as examples, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of this concept. For this purpose, flow additives were prepared from low-concentration solutions in a laboratory spray dryer. Dry particle coating was carried out in a tumbling mixer for 30 min, after which the flow properties of the coated powders were determined using a Schulze Ring shear tester. The results show that a significant improvement in the flowability of cohesive food powders is possible by using these spray-dried flow additives. In addition, an anti-caking effect could be observed. There is still a need for optimization in the production of such flow additives in order to increase their economy and effectiveness. Overall, the concept of clean-label flow additives shows great potential.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1301386</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1301386</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A regime map for dry powder coating: the influence of material properties and process parameters]]></title>
        <pubdate>2023-11-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Marv Khala</author><author>Colin Hare</author><author>Vikram Karde</author><author>Jerry Y. Y. Heng</author>
        <description><![CDATA[A numerical study is carried out to investigate the combined influence of material properties and process parameters on coating quality in a high shear mixer (specifically an FT4 Powder Rheometer) to construct a regime map. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is employed to simulate a range of material properties (size, density, and surface energy) and process parameters (impeller speed and mixing time) via Design of Experiments (DoE). A robust regime map is proposed for prediction of dry coating performance based on dimensionless Stokes deformation number (Stdef) and granular Bond number (Bo). The regime map provides insight on the optimal range of material properties and process parameters to achieve high coating levels in a high-shear bladed mixer. Furthermore, the minimum energy required to achieve optimal coating performance as well as regions of poor coating quality due to guest detachment exacerbated by excessive energy input can be identified from the regime map, thus reducing wastage of energy and coating material required. The regime map enables the required mixing time for optimal coating to be determined so long as particle size distributions and surface energies are known.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1149252</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1149252</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Filter media for storm water treatment in sustainable cities: A review]]></title>
        <pubdate>2023-04-21T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Lena Johansson Westholm</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Storm water treatment and management will be more important in the future due to climate changes, e.g., more frequent, and intense rain events that might cause flooding. To meet these challenges, low impact development (LID) technologies such as paved surfaces, green roofs and various bioretention systems have been suggested in urban areas. Various filter media, natural and engineered materials, have been used to amend the LID solutions in field experiments enhancing the removal of different contaminants present in storm water of different kinds. Researchers suggest locally available low-cost media having high capacity to remove pollutants. Other parameters to take into consideration when selecting filter media are clogging, hydraulic parameters. Climatic conditions in different regions, e.g., temperate, or cold climatic zones, do not seem to have a large impact on performance on LID solutions.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1144237</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1144237</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Manufacturing flow batteries using advanced 3D printing technology—A review]]></title>
        <pubdate>2023-04-05T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Ji Wu</author><author>Shaowen Xu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In the past decade, electrochemical energy storage systems such as rechargeable batteries have been explored as potential candidates for the large-scale storage of intermittent power sources. Among these, redox flow batteries stand out due to their low fabrication costs, high scalability, and long cycle life. Several redox flow battery pilot plants with MWh capacity have been constructed worldwide, although their commercial profitability is currently under investigation. 3D printing as a burgeoning technology offers unlimited opportunities in the process of optimizing the design, performance, and fabrication cost of redox flow batteries as compared to traditional top-down manufacturing techniques. This review discusses the principles of various redox flow batteries and 3D printing techniques, followed by explaining the advantages, disadvantages, and major factors to consider when using 3D printing in the construction of efficient redox flow batteries. The practical applications of 3D printing for redox flow batteries with different redox chemistries in the past decade are critically summarized, including classical all-vanadium, Zn/Br, and novel competitors. Lastly, a summary is provided along with outlooks that may provide valuable guidance for scientists interested in this research frontier.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.995221</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.995221</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Dry powder coating in additive manufacturing]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-09-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Jochen Schmidt</author><author>Wolfgang Peukert</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Dry powder coating is used in many industries to tailor the bulk solid characteristics of cohesive powders. Within this paper, the state of the art of dry coating of feedstock materials for powder based additive manufacturing (AM) processes will be reviewed. The focus is on feedstock materials for powder bed fusion AM processes, such as powder bed fusion of polymers with a laser beam and powder bed fusion of metals with lasers or an electron beam. Powders of several microns to several ten microns in size are used and the feedstock’s bulk solid properties, especially the flowability and packing density are of immanent importance in different process steps in particular for powder dosing and spreading of powder layers onto the building area. All these properties can be tuned by dry particle coating. Moreover, possibilities to improve AM processability and to manipulate the resulting microstructure (c.f. grain refinement, dispersion strengthening) by adhering nanoparticles on the powders will be discussed. The effect of dry coating on the obtained powder properties along the whole AM process chain and the resulting part properties is assessed. Moreover, appropriate characterization methods for bulk solid properties of dry-coated AM powders are critically discussed.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.810443</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.810443</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Hierarchical COK-X Materials for Applications in Catalysis and Adsorptive Separation and Controlled Release]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-03-14T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Sreeprasanth Pulinthanathu Sree</author><author>Eric Breynaert</author><author>Christine E. A. Kirschhock</author><author>Johan A. Martens</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Over the years, COK has developed a family of silicate materials and metal–organic framework hybrids with hierarchical porosity and functionality, coined zeogrids, zeotiles, and COK-x (stemming from the Flemish name of the laboratory “Centrum voor Oppervlaktechemie en Katalyse”). Several of these materials have unique features relevant to heterogeneous catalysis, molecular separation, and controlled release and found applications in the field of green chemistry, environmental protection, and pharmaceutical formulation. Discovery of a new material typically occurs by serendipity, but the research was always guided by hypothesis. This review provides insight in the process of tuning initial research hypotheses to match material properties to specific applications. This review describes the synthesis, structure, properties, and applications of 12 different materials. Some have simple synthesis protocols, facilitating upscaling and reproduction and rendering them attractive also in this respect.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.834547</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.834547</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Review on Additive Manufacturing of Catalysts and Sorbents and the Potential for Process Intensification]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-02-18T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Leon R.S. Rosseau</author><author>Vesna Middelkoop</author><author>Hans A.M. Willemsen</author><author>Ivo Roghair</author><author>Martin van Sint Annaland</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Additive manufacturing of catalyst and sorbent materials promises to unlock large design freedom in the structuring of these materials, and could be used to locally tune porosity, shape and resulting parameters throughout the reactor along both the axial and transverse coordinates. This contrasts catalyst structuring by conventional methods, which yields either very dense randomly packed beds or very open cellular structures. Different 3D-printing processes for catalytic and sorbent materials exist, and the selection of an appropriate process, taking into account compatible materials, porosity and resolution, may indeed enable unbounded options for geometries. In this review, recent efforts in the field of 3D-printing of catalyst and sorbent materials are discussed. It will be argued that these efforts, whilst promising, do not yet exploit the full potential of the technology, since most studies considered small structures that are very similar to structures that can be produced through conventional methods. In addition, these studies are mostly motivated by chemical and material considerations within the printing process, without explicitly striving for process intensification. To enable value-added application of 3D-printing in the chemical process industries, three crucial requirements for increased process intensification potential will be set out: i) the production of mechanically stable structures without binders; ii) the introduction of local variations throughout the structure; and iii) the use of multiple materials within one printed structure.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2021.787788</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2021.787788</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Synthesis of Hierarchically Porous Metal Oxide Monoliths via Sol–Gel Process Accompanied by Phase Separation From Divalent Metal Salts: A Short Review]]></title>
        <pubdate>2021-12-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Xuanming Lu</author><author>Kazuki Nakanishi</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The sol–gel process accompanied by phase separation is one of the methods to prepare hierarchically porous monoliths, hierarchically porous monolith, which is applicable not only to oxides but also to various materials compositions such as metal phosphates, organic-polymers/carbons, metal-organic frameworks. It is not until recently, however, that progress has been made in the preparation of low-valence metal oxide HPMs, such as those of magnesium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, etc. Due to the difficulty of divalent metal precursors to form homogeneous gels, different approaches from those established for trivalent and tetravalent counterparts have been attempted. This short review introduces the methods and trials in the preparation of metal oxide HPMs from divalent metal salts.]]></description>
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