Particle track analysis for measuring crystallization and precipitation processes from solutions example
ParticleTrack G600L with iC FBRM Technology for Reaction Calorimeter and hydrometallurgical process development is used for measuring crystallization and precipitation processes from solutions. It can be used also to measure particles and droplets in concentrated suspensions and emulsions without the need for sample extraction and sample preparation. Crystallization of metal salts is a growing research area and this device is required to accurately obtain on-line data during the experiments. The device can be used in VTT’s reaction calorimetrer and hydrometallurcical platform infrastructures and can be transferred easily to other sites as well. Crystallization research is expected to grow at VTT and only using reaction calorimeter the utilization rate is 5 pms/year at the moment. Also newly build Flexmet hydrometallurgical platform could utilize the ParticleTrack G600L analysis device in precipitation, leaching, bioprecipitation, and cementation reseach, for example. The work will be coupled with masters and PhD works joinly with universities and industries.
Ongoing proprietary research on sulphate removal using crystallization from water, in collaboration with industry, has many potential benefits: removal of unwanted components from natural waters or process solutions, optimization of recycling processes, maintaining suitable compositions in the solutions, and minimizing costs and environmental impacts. With this methodology particle size information can be fed back into the processing control further constraining factors such a filterability and uniformity of crystals.15 The main users are research institutes and universities in a wide range of topics. The main industries that will benefit from this infrastructure are mining, metals producers, equipment manufacturers, environmental solution providers, forest industry, waste water treatment, pharmaceutical industry, chemical manufacturers, organic synthesis, biobased materials producers, and the food industry.
Figure: ParticleTrack G600L analysis device.
