Crystallization of alpha-lactose monohydrate in a drop-based microfluidic crystallizer

Dombrowski, Richard D., Litster, James D., Wagner, Norman J., and He, Yinghe (2007) Crystallization of alpha-lactose monohydrate in a drop-based microfluidic crystallizer. Chemical Engineering Science, 62 (17). pp. 4802-4810.

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Abstract

A microfluidic process for producing crystals of controlled size by confining the crystallization within drops is demonstrated. The process consists of a drop producing stage which segments the mother liquor into monodisperse drops followed by crystallization in a temperature controlled tubular crystallizer. The process is implemented to produce lactose crystals with significantly narrower crystal size distribution (CSD) as compared with crystals produced in a stirred bulk crystallizer. By controlling the drop size and initial supersaturation the mean crystal size can be controlled. The distribution of the number of crystals per drop and the CSD are measured as a function of supersaturation at temperatures between 20 and View the MathML source for 150 and View the MathML source drops. In the case where drops contain only one crystal, a very narrow CSD is obtained with a coefficient of variation of crystal size as low as 7%. The crystallization of lactose in a microfluidic tubular crystallizer is modeled by treating nucleation in drops as a Poisson process with a nucleation rate based on classical nucleation theory. Experimental results are in good agreement with predictions from a Poisson process model over the range of temperatures, supersaturations and drop sizes tested.

Item ID: 2725
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1873-4405
Keywords: crystallization; pharmaceuticals; nucleation; particle formation; product design; microfluidics
Date Deposited: 31 Aug 2009 07:33
FoR Codes: 09 ENGINEERING > 0904 Chemical Engineering > 090499 Chemical Engineering not elsewhere classified @ 40%
11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > 111599 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences not elsewhere classified @ 30%
07 AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES > 0707 Veterinary Sciences > 070799 Veterinary Sciences not elsewhere classified @ 30%
SEO Codes: 86 MANUFACTURING > 8608 Human Pharmaceutical Products > 860801 Human Biological Preventatives (e.g. Vaccines) @ 51%
86 MANUFACTURING > 8609 Veterinary Pharmaceutical Products > 860901 Veterinary Biological Preventatives (e.g. Vaccines) @ 49%
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