SOLID-LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM: The Foundation of Crystallization Process Design

摘要

Crystallization is one of the few separation methods that can yield high-purity products. Because it is a relatively simple operation and it can be performed at large scale, it is often an attractive and promising option, especially for high-molecular-weight chemicals that normally exist as solids at atmospheric conditions. Therefore, it is not surprising that for many decades crystallization has been used in the separation and purification of commodity chemicals, including terephthalic acid, adipic acid, para-xylene, inorganic salts such as potash (KC1) and table salt (NaCl), and many others. More recent applications in the specialty chemical and pharmaceutical sectors are plentiful — for example, isolation of diamondoids from petroleum, purification of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) from a fermentation mixture, and chiral resolution of drug substances or intermediates, to name just a few.