Novel Design Integrating a Microwave Applicator into a Crystallizer for Rapid Temperature Cycling. A Direct Nucleation Control Study.

The control of nucleation in crystallization processes is a challenging task due to the often lacking knowledge on the process kinetics. Inflexible (predetermined) control strategies fail to grow the nucleated crystals to the desired quality because of the variability in the process conditions, disturbances, and the stochastic nature of crystal nucleation. Previously, the concept of microwave assisted direct nucleation control (DNC) was demonstrated in a laboratory setup to control the crystal size distribution in a batch crystallization process by manipulating the number of particles in the system. Rapid temperature cycling was used to manipulate the super(under)saturation and hence the number of crystals. The rapid heating response achieved with the microwave heating improved the DNC control efficiency, resulting in halving of the batch time. As an extension, this work presents a novel design in which the microwave applicator is integrated in the crystallizer, hence avoiding the external loop though the microwaves oven. DNC implemented in the 4 L unseeded crystallizer, at various count set points, resulted in strong efficiency enhancement of DNC, when compared to the performance with a slow responding system. The demonstrated crystallizer design is a basis for extending the enhanced process control opportunity to other applications.

Extracellular polymeric substances govern the surface charge of biogenic elemental selenium nanoparticles.

The origin of the organic layer covering colloidal biogenic elemental selenium nanoparticles (BioSeNPs) is not known, particularly in the case when they are synthesized by complex microbial communities. This study investigated the presence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on BioSeNPs. The role of EPS in capping the extracellularly available BioSeNPs was also examined. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and colorimetric measurements confirmed the presence of functional groups characteristic of proteins and carbohydrates on the BioSeNPs, suggesting the presence of EPS. Chemical synthesis of elemental selenium nanoparticles in the presence of EPS, extracted from selenite fed anaerobic granular sludge, yielded stable colloidal spherical selenium nanoparticles. Furthermore, extracted EPS, BioSeNPs, and chemically synthesized EPS-capped selenium nanoparticles had similar surface properties, as shown by ζ-potential versus pH profiles and isoelectric point measurements. This study shows that the EPS of anaerobic granular sludge form the organic layer present on the BioSeNPs synthesized by these granules. The EPS also govern the surface charge of these BioSeNPs, thereby contributing to their colloidal properties, hence affecting their fate in the environment and the efficiency of bioremediation technologies.