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Title: Novel applications of ultrasonic atomization in the manufacturing of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices

Journal Article · · Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
 [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)
  2. Applied Food Sciences, Coralville, IA (United States)

Liquid atomization as a fluid disintegration method has been used in many industrial applications such as spray drying, coating, incineration, preparation of emulsions, medical devices, etc. The usage of ultrasonic energy for atomizing liquid is gaining interest as a green and energy-efficient alternative to traditional mechanical atomizers. In the past two decades, efforts have been made to explore new applications of ultrasonic misting for downstream separation of chemicals, e.g., bioethanol, from their aqueous solutions. Downstream separation of a chemical from its aqueous solutions is known to be an energy-intensive process. Conventional distillation is featured by low energy efficiency and inability to separate azeotropic mixtures, and thus novel alternatives, such as ultrasonic separation have been explored to advance the separation technology. Ultrasonic misting has been reported to generate mist and vapor mixture in a gaseous phase that is enriched in solute (e.g., ethanol), under non-thermal, non-equilibrium, and phase change free conditions. This review article takes an in-depth look into the recent advancements in ultrasound-mediated separation of organic molecules, especially bioethanol, from their aqueous solutions. An effort was made to analyze and compare the experimental setups used, mist collection methods, droplet size distribution, and separation mechanism. In addition, the applications of ultrasonic atomization in the production of pharmaceuticals and medical devices are discussed.

Research Organization:
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), New York, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007888
OSTI ID:
1856059
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1904788
Journal Information:
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, Vol. 86, Issue C; ISSN 1350-4177
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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