This paper describes an experimental investigation on the precipitation of calcium carbonate in microreactors. Two reactor modules having similar configuration were used. The characteristic lengths of the reactors were 1 mm and 2 mm respectively and the precipitation was obtained from sodium carbonate and calcium nitrate solutions. Influence of flow rate and channel diameter on the particle properties was studied and limited tests were conducted in a well stirred vessel for benchmarking purposes. Scanning Electron Microscope, Mastersiser 2000 and XRay diffraction techniques were used to characterise the particles. The results of this study suggest that due to the high degree of mixing in micro reactors, small particles with tight crystal size distribution can be produced. It is expected that this work will provide fundamental information required for evaluating the use of microreactor technology for the production of high value products obtained from precipitation processes.
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