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        <title>Frontiers in Chemical Engineering | Separation Processes section | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemical-engineering/sections/separation-processes</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Separation Processes section in the Frontiers in Chemical Engineering journal | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
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        <pubDate>2026-05-03T05:57:06.740+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1683078</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1683078</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Evaluating the role of black rice husk ash nanoparticles in enhancing foam stability for enhanced oil recovery]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-12T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ishaq Ahmad</author><author>Wanchun Zhao</author><author>Tingting Wang</author><author>Javed Akbar Khan</author><author>Sonny Irawan</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionFoams have been considered for their ability to control in solution, gas injection improved oil recovery (IOR) processes, for blocking and diverting using either gelled foams, and for gas and oil ratio control at production wells. In a range of applications, a foam meets a range of oil saturations, which requires the design of a foam with the necessary stability for oil saturation. The stability of foams in oil is extremely important for the oil industry. Core flood experiments by different investigators suggest that oil becomes harmful to foam at oil saturation levels above 5% to 20%. The use of such foams is notably advantageous over the use of simple fluids with similar nominal mobility because of the foam and with a viscosity higher than that of the displaced fluids. This is because surfactant-stabilized foams reduce the mobility of the gas present in the higher permeability portions. This causes a diversion of the displacing gas to the formation parts that were previously unswept. Additional oil can be recovered from underswept areas.MethodsThe black rice husk ash used in this study was sourced from a Japanese rice husk ash company. The anionic foaming surfactant, Sodium Dodecyl Benzene Sulfonate (SDBS), was obtained from Sigma. The experimental setup included two 1.5-liter cylinders for the mixed solution and one cylinder for CO. A sand pack measuring 30 cm in length and 2.5 cm in radius was used, and the sand and black rice husk ash were sieved using a 0.125 mm sieve. It was then filled with local white sand particles of 0.0125 mm. The high-pressure pump employed for the fluid pressure was a 100DX syringe pump capable of operating at pressures of up to 10,000 psi (690 bar).Results0.5 wt. % concentration of rice husk ash and SDBS surfactant was mixed with 1000 mL of water. The mixture was stirred on a magnetic stir plate for over 20 min. The experimental setup is illustrated The experiment conducted without a sand pack and with a sand pack. Pressure pumps were connected to a CO2 gas cylinder and a mixed solution of rice husk ash and SDBS surfactant via a connector, which also included a flow meter to monitor the flow rate. Foam generators were attached to produce foam for the experiment. Pressure meter was attached via a large connector to monitor the pressure during the experiment. The sand pack experimental design offers valuable insights into the foam lifespan and stability under sand pack conditions relevant to EOR. An oil field firm (Dongying, China) provided the oil. Oil was extracted from the unconsolidated sandstone reservoir of the oilfield. The oil viscosity of the black rice husk ash and SDBS surfactant was 40 mPa. Three core flood and three foam-flooding experiments were conducted to obtain the best results. The first experiment failed because of the leakage of gas at the connecting point, which was difficult to detect. After completing the sand pack experiments, the foaming mechanism was investigated further.DiscussionFoam volume and sand pack influence: without a sand pack, the initial foam volume of black rice husk ash foam is relatively high. However, in the presence of a sand pack, the volume decreases. Adding black rice husk ash liquid at a modest concentration can optimize foam volume across various temperatures. The foam drainage half-life is significantly influenced by incorporating black rice husk ash at different liquid flow rates. Viscosity and bubble stability: The addition of black rice husk ash foaming agents to oil reduces its viscosity. Despite a significant increase in bubble velocity, the stability of the bubbles decreases. However, these tiny foam bubbles exhibit longer stability compared to the initial phase. Foam stability in sand pack conditions: In sand pack conditions, black rice husk ash positively impacts foam stability and strength both before and after flooding. However, the foam lifetime becomes limited after sand pack flooding. Oil recovery enhancement: Injecting black rice husk ash foam into a sand pack increases oil recovery. Microscopic studies and recovery points indicate that the silica nanoparticles in black rice husk ash contribute significantly to foam ability and stability.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1613424</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2025.1613424</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Leaching of copper slags in sulphuric acid and alkaline glycine media]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-06-04T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Mauricio Mura</author><author>Ignacio Castillo</author><author>Pía C. Hernández</author><author>Felipe M. Galleguillos Madrid</author><author>Eleazar Salinas-Rodríguez</author><author>Jonathan Castillo</author><author>Álvaro Soliz</author><author>Edelmira Gálvez</author><author>Norman Toro</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Copper slag is industrial waste, having fayalite and magnetite as main phases, copper is present in the form of chalcopyrite and chalcosine. However, the complex structure of the slag makes the dissolution process difficult, which is why methods have been used to recover metals with leaching in sulfuric acid media as a traditional technique. however, the use of new leaching agents has been implemented, for instance, glycine. The operating parameters such as concentration, temperature, particle size are compared in these leaching media, highlighting glycine with high selectivity and efficiency unlike sulfuric acid in alkaline conditions to leach copper. In this study, the efficiency of glycine as a leaching agent for copper recovery will be revised.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1449088</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1449088</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Application of tight membrane extraction for amines separation]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-11-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sara Salvador Cob</author><author>Kristien De Sitter</author><author>Anita Buekenhoudt</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Chiral amines are very valued constituents of many important pharmaceutical compounds and their intermediates. However, the production of a chiral amine encounters some challenges, like the use of harsh conditions and the unfavorable thermodynamic equilibrium. In this research the possibilities of tight membrane extraction (ME) for amines separation has been investigated to improve the reaction equilibrium. A specific transaminase reaction was selected for the study in which product amine 1-methyl-3-phenylpropylamine (MPPA) or methyl benzylamine (MBA) needs to be separated from the donor amine isopropylamine (IPA). Tight ME is an innovative separation process in which the membrane is not only an interface, but also a way to add extra selectivity to the process. In the present work, we thoroughly discuss the main factors influencing this novel technique by evaluating the extraction efficiency and extraction rates for the different amines. Then we also determine the optimal parameters for the selected reaction. Supported liquid membrane extraction (SLM), as well as pressure driven filtration, more specifically, nanofiltration (NF), were also studied as benchmark technologies, showing that tight ME has a greater advantage over the two in this specific case, due to the extra affinity factor offered by the membrane. The selectivity of MPPA/IPA in tight ME for the optimized parameters was significantly higher than for SLM and NF.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1420008</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1420008</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Leaching and recycling of NdFeB permanent magnets using ionic non-toxic hydrotropes instead of extractants]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-09-18T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Asmae El Maangar</author><author>Clément Fleury</author><author>Stéphane Pellet-Rostaing</author><author>Thomas Zemb</author>
        <description><![CDATA[We show hereby that recycling of NdFeB permanent magnets by selective leaching and precipitation is possible, using an electrolyte as hydrotrope, thus avoiding the need of any specific extractant molecules. We analyse the yield of the extractant-free process and show that the non toxic formulation of Sodium Salicylate and ethylacetate used as diluent and choosing the optimal tie-line in a ternary phase diagram allows extraction using any type of acid in the aqueous phase. Iron is well separated from rare earths and the product can be recovered directly form the fluid used in separation by oxalic acid precipitation.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1430773</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1430773</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Revealing the role of magnetic materials in light-driven advanced oxidation processes: enhanced degradation of contaminants and facilitated magnetic recovery]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-08-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Cristina González-Fernández</author><author>Eugenio Bringas</author><author>María J. Rivero</author><author>Inmaculada Ortiz</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Semiconductor photocatalysis, heterogeneous photo-Fenton and heterogeneous photocatalytic persulfate activation are light-driven advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) that have attracted much attention as promising technologies in wastewater treatment. Nevertheless, their large-scale application still faces several challenges, including the need to separate the catalyst from the treated water. In this regard, composite catalysts made up of semiconductor and magnetic materials have been understood as a potential alternative since the resulting magnetic photocatalysts can be easily separated from the medium by applying an external magnetic field. Interestingly, apart from facilitating the photocatalyst retrieval, the magnetic components could also be involved in the photocatalytic process. However, while the magnetic separation ability has been widely highlighted, other functions of the magnetic constituents remain obscure. This work, which covers the last 6 years of research, provides a comprehensive review on the magnetically assisted photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants from water. Specifically, the magnetic photocatalysts that are commonly employed for that purpose are presented and the different roles of their magnetic constituents (roughly grouped as retrieval assistance, active catalyst, conduction medium or activator) are discussed. Furthermore, the importance of designing magnetic separators for attaining the photocatalyst retrieval is also emphasized. Collectively, this study could supply an avenue for developing magnetic photocatalysts that take advantage of both roles of magnetic materials, which can contribute to accomplish a more efficient pollutant degradation.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1415453</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1415453</link>
        <title><![CDATA[BYG-drop: a tool for enhanced droplet detection in liquid–liquid systems through machine learning and synthetic imaging]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-08-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Grégory Bana</author><author>Fabrice Lamadie</author><author>Sophie Charton</author><author>Tojonirina Randriamanantena</author><author>Didier Lucor</author><author>Nida Sheibat-Othman</author>
        <description><![CDATA[A new image processing machine learning algorithm for droplet detection in liquid–liquid systems is here introduced. The method combines three key numerical tools—YOLOv5 for object detection, Blender for synthetic image generation, and CycleGAN for image texturing—and was named “BYG-Drop for Blender-YOLO-CycleGAn” droplet detection. BYG-Drop outperforms traditional image processing techniques in both accuracy and number of droplets detected in digital test cases. When applied to experimental images, it remains consistent with established techniques such as laser diffraction while outperforming other image processing techniques in droplet detection accuracy. The use of synthetic images for training also provides advantages such as training on a large labeled dataset, which prevents false detections. CycleGAN’s texturing also allows quick adaptation to different fluid systems, increasing the versatility of image processing in drop size distribution measurement. Finally, the processing time per image is significantly faster with this approach.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1391673</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2024.1391673</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Artificial intelligence-assisted design of sustainable processes]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-03-19T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Thibaut Neveux</author><author>Jean-Marc Commenge</author><author>Florence Vermeire</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1294784</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1294784</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Predictive functional control for separation processes by liquid-liquid extraction]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-02-15T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>V. Vanel</author><author>J. Mallet</author><author>B. Dinh</author><author>S. Michaud</author><author>M. Montuir</author><author>F. Vilpini</author>
        <description><![CDATA[A separation process by liquid-liquid extraction is a well-known and widespread industrial technology implemented to quantitatively recover valuable chemical elements. In the nuclear industry, such processes have been used for decades to recover uranium and plutonium from spent fuel. The process is non-linear and time constants vary over a wide range. Former studies on a simplified model showed linear controllers such as PID were not adapted to regulate these separation processes. The objective of this study is to propose process monitoring by using available physical models within the PAREX code and to validate the feasibility to monitor a separation process by using directly the PAREX code as a black box. The Predictive Functional Control (PFC) command law manages to monitor non-linear separation processes by liquid-liquid extraction, when using an existing physical model implemented in the PAREX code. An online alignment of the model on process values is necessary to keep the model sufficiently representative to predict the future behaviour of the process. As a reference benchmark, the PID control loop is also simulated with the physical model. The PFC and PID regulations are compared to evaluate the gain of using physical models implemented in the PAREX code. A simulation tool has been developed to implement the PID and Predictive Functional Control (PFC) controllers for separation processes by liquid-liquid extraction. The PFC command law manages to monitor non-linear separation processes, when using a physical model connected to the PAREX code. Even if the PID controller may be locally more efficient, the great strength of the PFC controller is to enable good performances on wider operating conditions, with an easier parametrization. The PFC algorithm is a mean to deal with the process characteristic features, like non-linearity and time constant change. The PFC controller appears to be a good candidate for experimental tests. A mid-term objective is to include the state estimator tool in the control loop to consolidate the controlled variable measurements. These developments may be regarded as an add-on module in a digital factory concept. Results shown in this article are only from simulation. For the sake of data confidentiality, studies with the PAREX code cannot be published and numerical parameters of the process are normalized. These simulations will be validated during further experimental tests.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1360708</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1360708</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Membrane engineering and process intensification]]></title>
        <pubdate>2024-01-11T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Jimoh K. Adewole</author><author>Anteneh M. Yeneneh</author><author>Mohd Yusuf Khan</author><author>Md. Jashim Uddin</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1271045</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1271045</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Receptors for the recognition and extraction of lithium]]></title>
        <pubdate>2023-11-30T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Jianfeng Zhang</author><author>Marco Wenzel</author><author>Liangrong Yang</author><author>Robert C. Luckay</author><author>Jan J. Weigand</author>
        <description><![CDATA[We summarize advances in lithium recognition receptors, focusing on their use as active reagents in circular processes such as liquid–liquid extraction, an established industrial process that is advantageous due to its large processing capacity and high selectivity. High-performance systems are required, given the increasing demand for effective separation processes for the recovery of valuable substances from spent lithium-ion batteries or the exploration of brines. Hence, the availability of powerful and highly selective receptors is particularly crucial. This mini-review summarizes the development of active receptors for lithium ion extraction and covers advances in receptors for both lithium ions and lithium salts. It discusses various receptor types, ranging from heteroditopic macrocyclic systems to simple β-diketones. The latter achieve particularly high lithium ion extraction yields in the presence of phosphine oxides such as trioctylphosphine oxide. Structural studies employing 4-phosphorylpyrazolone exhibited diverse coordination modes of lithium and represent clear evidence for the synergistic role of the co-ligand on a molecular level.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1274349</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1274349</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Hybrid modeling of drop breakage in pulsed sieve tray extraction columns]]></title>
        <pubdate>2023-11-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Andreas Palmtag</author><author>Johannes Rousselli</author><author>Henning Gröschl</author><author>Andreas Jupke</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Accurate models for pulsed sieve tray extraction columns (PSEs) depend on the correct prediction of the drop diameter to estimate extractive mass transfer across the phase boundary. Phenomenologically, the drop diameter is determined by a balance of drop breakage and coalescence. While for most industrial solvent systems, coalescence plays a minor role; breakage is mostly the dominant phenomenon determining the drop diameter. However, most modeling approaches for drop breakage in PSEs are characterized by a trade-off between a broad validity range and good prediction accuracy. To overcome this limitation, we developed a hybrid breakage model for drop breakage in PSEs in which a physical-empirical model basis is enhanced by data-driven parameter estimator models (PEMs). The hybrid model is based on a revised form of Garthe’s breakage model, for which we developed a linear PEM for the model parameters and two data-driven PEMs for dstab and d100, respectively. The hybrid breakage model was validated on 743 experimental data sets and evaluated based on the pull metric. In a sensitivity analysis, the model correctly predicted the breakage probability over a wide range of solvent properties, operating conditions, and sieve tray geometries. In future studies, the hybrid breakage model can be incorporated into extraction column models without an initial parametrization.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1066091</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2023.1066091</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Review of technologies for carbon monoxide recovery from nitrogen- containing industrial streams]]></title>
        <pubdate>2023-03-03T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Jebin James</author><author>Leonie E. Lücking</author><author>H.A.J. van Dijk</author><author>Jurriaan Boon</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Carbon monoxide (CO) is an important gas required for various industrial processes. Whether produced directly from syngas or as part of by-product gas streams, valorization of CO streams will play an important role in the decarbonization of industry. CO is often generated in mixtures with other gases such as H2, CO2, CH4, and N2 and therefore separation of CO from the other gases is required. In particular, separation of CO from N2 is difficult given their similar molecular properties. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge on the four processes for separation of CO from gas mixtures: cryogenic purification, absorption, adsorption and membrane separation. Particular emphasis is placed on technical processes for industrial applications and separation of N2 and CO. Cryogenic processes are not suitable for separation of CO from N2. Absorption developments focus on the use of ionic liquids to replace solvents, with promising progress being made in the field of CO solubility in ionic liquids. Advancements in adsorption processes have focused on the development of new materials however future work is required to develop materials that do not require vacuum regeneration. Membrane processes are most promising in the form of solid state and mixed matrix membranes. In general, there is limited development beyond lab scale for new advancements in CO separation from gas streams. This highlights an opportunity and need to investigate and develop beyond state-of-the-art processes for CO separation at industrial scale, especially for separation of CO from N2.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.1083180</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.1083180</link>
        <title><![CDATA[MRI on a new polymeric multichannel membrane for ultrafiltration]]></title>
        <pubdate>2023-02-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Stefanie Kern</author><author>Rahel Lerner</author><author>Nicolas Schork</author><author>Hermann Nirschl</author><author>Martin Heijnen</author><author>Gisela Guthausen</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Membrane ultrafiltration in new polymeric multi-channel membranes designed for in-out filtration was investigated to get insights into structure, flow and filtration properties. The apparent novelty of the membrane concerns the geometry and configuration of the feed channels. In-situ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows non-invasive and non-destructive investigations with adequate spatial and time resolution. The structure of the new polymeric membrane was measured with an in-plane spatial resolution of 35 µm/pixel revealing first the polymer density distribution over the 19-channel membrane and second the wettability of the fiber and its cavities of different dimensions. MRI was also used to answer questions about flow and consequently feed distribution in the channels. Finally, in-situ filtration of an aqueous solution of sodium alginate was observed which led to deposit formation at the channel’s inner surfaces. The kinetics of this deposit formation was quantified. Backwashing and flushing gave insight into the cleanability of the channels.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.1066027</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.1066027</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Membrane distillation crystallization for water and mineral recovery: The occurrence of fouling and its control during wastewater treatment]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-11-29T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Indira Chimanlal</author><author>Lebea N. Nthunya</author><author>Cejna Quist-Jensen</author><author>Heidi Richards</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) is an emerging technology envisaged to manage challenges affecting the desalination industry. This technology can sustainably treat concentrated solutions of produced water and industrially discharged saline wastewater. Simultaneous recovery of clean water and minerals is achieved through the integration of crystallization to membrane distillation (MD). MDC has received vast research interest because of its potential to treat hypersaline solutions. However, MDC still faces challenges in harnessing its industrial applications. Technically, MDC is affected by fouling/scaling and wetting thereby hindering practical application at the industrial level. This study reviews the occurrence of membrane fouling and wetting experienced with MDC. Additionally, existing developments carried out to address these challenges are critically reviewed. Finally, prospects suggesting the sustainability of this technology are highlighted.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.982891</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.982891</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Modelling the effect of CO2 loading of aqueous potassium glycinate on CO2 absorption in a membrane contactor]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-08-31T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Harri Nieminen</author><author>Pavel Maksimov</author><author>Arto Laari</author><author>Tuomas Koiranen</author>
        <description><![CDATA[CO2 absorption into aqueous potassium glycinate in a polypropylene membrane contactor was modelled using two alternative models: a 1D model and a 1D-2D model considering axial diffusion in the liquid phase. Models were fitted to experimental data using various fitting parameters, which were compared. Experiments were carried out under industrially relevant conditions characterized by CO2-loaded absorbent entering the contactor and high degree of reactant conversion over the contactor. The experiments and models were developed to specifically investigate the effect of changes in solution CO2 loading at contactor inlet. This is a key issue rarely reported in the literature, especially for amino acid salt solutions. Unexpectedly, the 1D model was found to explain the experimental results more accurately compared to the more complex 1D-2D model. This was the case for the base models, using only the membrane mass transfer coefficient as a fitting parameter, and the final models introducing secondary fitting parameters. The 1D model was found to show the best experimental fit following fitting of the equilibrium constant used in prediction of the enhancement factor. The 1D-2D model showed the best fit following correction of potassium glycinate diffusivity as a function of solution CO2 loading. The 1D approach was found to result in a computationally effective model with good fit to the present experimental data. This model provides a good basis for further development and could be considered for use in contactor design and optimization studies. It is suggested that various model simplifications led to inability of the 1D-2D model to accurately predict the experimental results.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.986411</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.986411</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Recent progress on hybrid reactive-extractive distillation for azeotropic separation: A short review]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-08-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Zong Yang Kong</author><author>Jaka Sunarso</author><author>Ao Yang</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The reactive-extractive distillation (RED) has the advantages of combining the beneficial features of both reaction and separation processes. Relative to the conventional reactive or extractive distillation-based processes, the RED is also less energy intensive as it relies on the reaction heat produced for the subsequent separation process. Therefore, the application of RED for ternary azeotropic separation has become the subject of popular interest, as evident by the increasing number of publications since 2020. This review paper is the first that puts together, in a chronological manner, all the existing studies on the RED to date, starting from the initial three column reactive-extractive distillation (TCRED) to the most recent dividing wall reactive-extractive distillation (DW-RED), for ternary azeotropic separation, so that the rapid progress in this area is summarised and any existing gaps in these studies become easier to identify for future work. The last part of this review provides three potential areas for future work, i.e. analysis of the sustainability of RED, combination of different process intensification strategies to improve the energy efficiency and separation performance, and further exploration on the control studies for the RED.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.849988</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.849988</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Modeling of a Continuous Carbonation Reactor for CaCO3 Precipitation]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-06-27T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Johannes Tiefenthaler</author><author>Marco Mazzotti</author>
        <description><![CDATA[To stop global warming well below 2°C, a rapid decarbonization of our economy, including the industrial sector is required—reaching net-zero GHG emissions in 2050. CO2 mineralization processes, capturing CO2 from industrial point sources and trapping it as carbonate minerals, have the potential to store climate-relevant amounts of CO2. To get there, the potential processes have to be designed and developed, with the help of a process model that can support the process scale-up and optimization. In this work, a process model describing a gas-liquid-solid continuous cristallizer for CO2 absorption into an aqueous ammonium nitrate solution and CaCO3 precipitation has been developed. It consists of the relevant material balances, of a speciation model, and a population balance equation. While several of the model parameters can be obtained from the literature, a few have been estimated by fitting a comprehensive set of experimental data presented earlier. In particular, the process quantities used for parameter estimation are the CO2 mass transfer rate, the calcium carbonate crystallization rate, and the average particle size of the CaCO3 product crystals. The accuracy of the model, particularly in reproducing mass transfer rates and average particle sizes, has been assessed. Interestingly, it has been shown that the dominating mechanism for crystal formation is primary rather than secondary nucleation. The validated model has been used to explore the effect of the different operating conditions on various key performance indicators so as to gain a deeper insight into the process performance and potential. It has been shown that the CO2 absorption efficiency is mainly affected by the feed stoichiometry and the gas feed rate, whereas the CO2 capture and precipitation efficiency are controlled by the liquid phase composition and the residence time; increasing the calcium concentration in the feed is obviously one way to improve the efficiency. Moreover, we could show that the particle size tends to increase with calcium concentration and to decrease with liquid feed rate and supersaturation of the solution.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.916054</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.916054</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The Future of Membrane Separation Processes: A Prospective Analysis]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-05-17T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Perspective</category>
        <author>Eric Favre</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Membrane processes are today one of the key technologies for industrial separations and are expected to play an important role in future sustainable production systems. The combination of materials science and process engineering has historically always been an essential condition to the development of new applications for membranes. The recent development of high performance nanostructured materials, together with new production technologies (such as 3D printing) and high performance computing possibilities is expected to open new horizons to membrane processes. The different challenges and prospects to be addressed to achieve this purpose are discussed, with an emphasis on the future of process industries in terms of feedstocks, energy sources, and environmental impact.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.865635</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.865635</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Separation Processes in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-03-02T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Cristina Chuck-Hernández</author><author>Jia Wei Chew</author><author>Karla Mayolo-Deloisa</author><author>Bodhisattwa Chaudhuri</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.830284</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fceng.2022.830284</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Experimental Investigation of a Continuous Reactor for CO2 Capture and CaCO3 Precipitation]]></title>
        <pubdate>2022-02-10T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Johannes Tiefenthaler</author><author>Marco Mazzotti</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In a climate neutral world, the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) have to be reduced towards net-zero. Mineral carbonation processes allow to do so by replacing the carbon rich calcium source limestone by carbon free industrial mineral wastes. Various processes have been investigated in literature. They exhibit the benefit of little to no feedstock related emissions and high energy savings due to the avoidance of the CaCO3 calcination step. However, the nature of the process changes significantly, which requires a fundamental understanding of the new mechanisms controlling the process of CO2 absorption and CaCO3 precipitation. Within this work, a CO2 rich gas is contacted with a calcium rich aqueous feed in a continuous reactive crystallizor. The CO2 selectively absorbs and precipitates as either vaterite or calcite. The effect of the liquid and gas feed flow rates, of the feed stoichiometric ratio and of the residence time on key performance indicators, such as the CO2 capture efficiency the CaCO3 precipitation efficiency and the features of the final product, is studied experimentally. As expected, these feed characteristics determine the effective stoichiometric ratio of reactants in the liquid phase, ψ.  The particle size increases strongly with ψ; vaterite represents the predominant solid phase at ψ < 1 while otherwise a mix of vaterite and calcite was formed, whereas the latter one accounted for 13%–90% in mass of crystals collected. Moreover, ψ of about one exhibits the highest CO2 capture efficiency exceeding 80%.]]></description>
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