Continuous Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nanomaterials: From Laboratory to Pilot Plant

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Title
Continuous Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nanomaterials: From Laboratory to Pilot Plant

CoPED ID
383716d2-9ea4-4c74-960e-a0d20c4fc5b9

Status
Closed

Funders

Value
£1,031,918

Start Date
May 31, 2008

End Date
Nov. 30, 2011

Description

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Summary: A novel laboratory scale continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis (CHFS) system has been developed for the controlled synthesis of inorganic nano-materials (particles <100nm) with potential commercial applications from sunscreens and battery materials to fuel cell components and photocatalysts. The CHFS system has many advantages; it is a green technology (using supercritical water as the reagent), which utilises inexpensive precursors (metal nitrate salts) and can controllably produce high quality, technologically important functional nano-materials in an efficient single step (or fewer steps than conventionally). This project seeks to move the existing laboratory scale CHFS system (developed over the past few years at QMUL) towards a x10 pilot scale-up (nano-powder production of up to 500g per 12h depending on variables). The proposed research will initially compare the ability to control particle characteristics of the CHFS system at the laboratory scale over a large range of process variables (flow rates, temperatures, pressures, etc), building full operational envelopes that will describe reactor variables versus particle properties for each material. In particular, we will utilise process analytical technology (PAT)and the data will help develop univariate and multivariate understanding of the temporal operational spaces and interactions between process variables and product quality. PATand chemometrics incorporated with combined computational fluid dynamics modelling of hydrodynamics/mixing and population balance modelling of particle size evolution via nano-precipitation will be used to study alternative nozzles designs and other potential bottleneck factors. This will lead to a generic strategy for scaling up and controlled manufacture of nanomaterials with consistent, reproducible and predictable quality. The scale up quantities of nano-powders from the pilot plant will allow industrial partners to perform prototyping or comprehensive commercial evaluation of nano-powders in a range of applications which they have hitherto not been able to conduct due to lack of sufficient high quality material. Importantly, the know-how acquired on the project and the proposed feasibility studies will reduce the risk and commercial barriers for industry that might consider building a larger industrial scale CHFS plant in the future.

Jawwad Darr PI_PER
Ihtesham Rehman COI_PER
Shoufeng Yang COI_PER

Subjects by relevance
  1. Quality control
  2. Quality
  3. Water quality
  4. Know-how
  5. Laboratories
  6. Product development
  7. Sunscreens

Extracted key phrases
  1. Novel laboratory scale continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis
  2. Continuous Hydrothermal Synthesis
  3. Laboratory scale chfs system
  4. Large industrial scale chfs plant
  5. Pilot Plant
  6. Sufficient high quality material
  7. Pilot scale
  8. Important functional nano
  9. Potential commercial application
  10. Inorganic nano
  11. Laboratory
  12. Nanomaterials
  13. Battery material
  14. Process variable
  15. Particle size evolution

Related Pages

UKRI project entry

UK Project Locations