A Mathematical Model of the Ultrasound-Assisted Continuous Tubular Crystallization of Aspirin

Author(s)
Symeon V. Savvopoulos, Mohammed N. Hussain, Jeroen Jordens, Steffen Waldherr, Tom Van Gerven, Simon Kuhn
Abstract

Ultrasound-assisted nucleation is a promising method of controlling the crystal length within a narrow range in antisolvent crystallization. This article proposes novel model equations representing crystal nucleation and growth under ultrasound application in the antisolvent system of ethanol (solvent), water (antisolvent), and aspirin (pharmaceutical ingredient). The model considers the enhancement of nucleation by ultrasound, and also accounts for the heat generated from both the application of ultrasound and the mixing of solvent and antisolvent. We further employ a global sensitivity analysis to determine the parameters that have the most significant impact on model outputs before validating multiple experimental case studies that represent crystal growth for different antisolvent contents and initial supersaturation ratios. The model successfully captures the effect of the ultrasound, which is a function of temperature and supersaturation ratio, and has a strong impact on the refinement and the quantity of the crystals. The proposed model offers a practical platform that can be applied to different scales and geometries in continuous crystallization systems using ultrasound.

Organisation(s)
Functional and Evolutionary Ecology
External organisation(s)
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Journal
Crystal Growth and Design
Volume
19
Pages
5111-5122
No. of pages
12
ISSN
1528-7483
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.9b00466
Publication date
09-2019
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
204003 Chemical process engineering
ASJC Scopus subject areas
General Chemistry, General Materials Science, Condensed Matter Physics
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/ea4d1d39-514e-42f3-a60d-afc9bc7b4803