Projects
Towards the realization of a structural biology platform at the University of Antwerp: The Mosquito Xtal3 crystallization robot as the missing link. University of Antwerp
Continuous cooling crystallization of complex organic active pharmaceutical ingredients in a microreactor KU Leuven
Intensification of pharmaceutical manufacturing will enhance the production efficiency, while also improving the utilization of resources, such as space, energy, and raw materials. The pharmaceutical industry still relies heavily on batch-wise production, but the development and application of microfluidic technology has enabled on-demand synthesis of pharmaceutical products using miniaturized continuous platforms. To achieve end-to-end local ...
Process Intensification in the Reactive Crystallization of Micro- and Nanoparticles KU Leuven
Study of the ultrasound effects on the micro- and nanoparticle synthesis of zeolites at lab scale. For a broad range of temperatures (50-150 °C) and pressures (1-10 bar) US frequency and power are studied for: 1) efficient mixing prior/during crystallization of micro- and nanoparticles, and for 2) de-agglomeration of the crystal aggregates. Micromixing studies are undertaken, as well as the evaluation of meta-stable zone width, induction time ...
Continuous Laser-induced Nucleation of Crystallization. University of Antwerp
Development of continuous crystallization processes KU Leuven
The pharmaceutical industry is transitioning towards continuous manufacturing to reduce costs and increase product quality. However, crystallization is a bottleneck in this transition as it is a complex, multiphase process. Tubular crystallizers should be able to meet the high demands made by the pharmaceutical industry, such as small particles sizes, narrow particle size distributions and high yields. However, there are several challenges ...
Influence of crystallization on the colloid-chemical stability and functional properties of W/O/W double emulsions Ghent University
This research project aims to investigate whether fat crystallization can be useful to stabilize double emulsions and whether this influences the functional properties. In a first part, a method will be developed to quantify the amount of solid fat. Subsequently, the decisive factors for crystallization will be investigated. Finally, the influence of crystallization on the stability as well as functional properties, such as whipping ...
Crystallization and melting behavior of phytosterol esters and their phase behavior in blends with palm oil KU Leuven
Phytosterols are plant based compounds with chemical structures similar to cholesterol and have nutritionally beneficial properties, more specifically a blood cholesterol lowering effect. In order to increase their lipid solubility and thus facilitate their incorporation into fat containing food products, phytosterols are esterified with fatty acids (FA) to obtain phytosterol esters. Addition of PE to fat (containing products) will ...
Multiscale characterization and modeling of crystallization processes in natural building stones Ghent University
This project focuses on the kinetics of in-pore salt and ice crystallization in natural building stones using a combined experimental-modeling approach. In-pore crystallization is studied by time-lapse imaging using X-ray micro-tomography and cryo-scanning electron microscopy to cover the complete pore size range. A pore-scale model is developed describing the physics of crystallization at the pore-scale level.
Fast scanning chip calorimetry combined with time resolved X-ray diffraction: a new view on polymer crystallization and melting KU Leuven
In the last decades, different fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) techniques have been developed, able to operate at scanning rates up to 40000 °C/s and higher. To allow for such rates, sub microgram samples are required. Relating calorimetric events to structural changes in minute amounts of material is a major challenge in high speed calorimetry. To be able to characterize materials under FSC conditions, we developed a unique setup, combining ...