Triboelektrische Trennung - Eine neue Methode zur Trennung feiner organischer Pulver?

Triboelectric separation is a technique to separate dry powders according to their ability to generate charge. Charge generation occurs due to the contact of and subsequent separation of two surfaces. A physical description of the triboelectric effect is still unknown. For particles flowing through a tube, particle-particle and particle-wall interaction occur. To enhance separation properties of binary powder mixtures charge generation are enlarged by increasing particle-particle interactions, whereas materials of the tube wall do not influence the separation properties.Die triboelektrische Trennung ist eine Methode, um trockene Pulver durch ihre Ladungserzeugung zu trennen. Die Ladungserzeugung erfolgt durch Kontakt und anschließende Trennung zweier Oberflächen. Eine physikalische Beschreibung des triboelektrischen Effekts ist noch nicht bekannt. Bei Partikeln, die durch ein Rohr strömen, treten Partikel-Partikel und Partikel-Wand Kontakte auf. Ein Erhöhen der Partikel-Partikel Kontakte führt zu erhöten Trenneigenschaften, wohingegen die Materien der Rohrwand diese nicht beeinflussen

Electroencapsulation and electrospraying of pharmaceutical materials in preparation for oral drug delivery applications

In bi-polar parallel nozzle electroencapsulation, two oppositely charged droplet jets are produced by electrospraying (electrostatic atomization), a method of extracting micro- or nanodroplets from a body of liquid using electrical forces. The two species of droplets are attracted to each other due to Coulombic forces. Upon contact, droplets of similar size can merge into a single-phase, or form a core-shell capsule structure, depending on the mutual miscibility of the liquids. In this work, an electroencapsulation setup was designed and experimented for the single-step production of two types of drug carrier particles of 10–50 μm in size: wrinkled, solid Eudragit L 100 enteric polymer micromatrix particles; and spherical microcapsules consisting of a solid Eudragit E 100 polymer shell and a liquid glycerol core. The carrier particle payload consisted of a model drug (griseofulvin); or griseofulvin loaded, mesoporous silicon (PSi) nano- and microparticles, which themselves are functional drug carriers. The goal was to obtain the carrier particle payloads as either stable drug dispersions in a disordered solid state, or non-agglomerated PSi nanoparticle dispersions, to enhance the drug dissolution properties at release. The carrier formulations would effectively render the payload in the form of an inert micropowder for purposes of handling and dosing. In oral administration, the formulations were to shield the payload from intestinal metabolism, and to restrain its release until arrival to target pH-conditions. The carrier particles were characterized to evaluate these properties. The micromatrix particles were proven stable and gastro-resistant in vitro. Griseofulvin dissolution and absorption properties improved significantly, the latter especially for the drug loaded PSi payloads. Finally, the efficiency of the asymmetric core-shell microcapsule production was optimized using Taguchi techniques. In conclusion, electroencapsulation was found to be a potentially feasible method to improve the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. Furthermore, partially crystalline piroxicam microparticles were produced by electrospraying, and characterized. The crystalline phase was shown to consist of a previously unknown, stable polymorphic form of piroxicam. The result suggests the method could provide a unique way to produce novel drug polymorphs. Thus, it is possible that the dissolution properties of certain drug materials could be improved sufficiently to facilitate oral administration, without the necessity to use more complex formulations

END OF LIFE MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC WASTE

Electronic products are becoming obsolete at a very high rate due to rapid changes in consumer demand and technological advancements. However, on other hand End-of-Life (EOL) management of electronic products is not effectively approached while these products offer huge opportunities for effective recycling. In this context, this thesis has highlighted the current practices and issues related to EOL management of electronic products focusing on their different material compositions, the uses of their raw materials in the circular economy perspective. The thesis proposes the introduction of digital technologies into the recycling process to improve efficiency. More specifically, this thesis has focused on the corona electrostatic separation process and the improvement of efficiency based on the simulation of the particle trajectories to identify the most effective parameters. Thus, in this frame, a numerical model to predict the particle trajectories in a corona electrostatic separator is developed using COMSOL Multiphysics and MATLAB software and validated with experimental trials. The recycling of electronic waste is becoming challenging due to its diverse and constantly changing material composition. In this regard, this thesis illustrates the use of non-destructive visible near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (VNIR-HSI) technique to identify material accurately; the effectiveness of VNIR-HSI is demonstrated through an experimental campaign combined with machine learning models, such as Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors and Neural Network.Nonostante i prodotti elettronici diventino obsoleti ad un ritmo molto elevato, a causa dei rapidi cambiamenti nella domanda dei consumatori e dei progressi tecnologici, la gestione del loro fine vita (End-of-Life (EOL)) non viene affrontata in modo efficace benché offra, invece, grandi opportunità di riciclo. In questo contesto, questa tesi ha evidenziato le attuali pratiche e problematiche relative alla gestione del fine vita dei prodotti elettronici concentrandosi sulla loro diversa composizione, l’utilizzo delle materie prime seconde ricavabili in una prospettiva di economia circolare. La tesi propone l’introduzione di tecnologie digitali nel processo di riciclo per migliorarne l'efficienza. In particolare, questa tesi si è concentrata sul processo di separazione elettrostatica a corona e sul miglioramento dell'efficienza grazie alla simulazione delle traiettorie delle particelle per identificare i parametri più efficaci. Pertanto, in questo studio, utilizzando i software COMSOL Multiphysics e MATLAB, è stato sviluppato un modello numerico per prevedere le traiettorie delle particelle in un separatore elettrostatico a corona; il modello è stato poi validato con prove sperimentali. Il riciclo dei rifiuti elettronici sta diventando sempre più complesso a causa della presenza di mix di materiali diversificati e in continua evoluzione. A questo proposito, la tecnologia di visione iperspettrale non distruttiva basata su lunghezze d’onda nel visibile e nel vicino infrarosso (VNIR-HSI) è stata utilizzata in questo lavoro di tesi per identificare il materiale in modo preciso; l'efficacia di VNIR-HSI, combinato con modelli di apprendimento automatico, come la Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors e Neural Network, viene dimostrata attraverso una campagna sperimentale

Studies on the lubrication of roller compaction formulations

The tablet is the preferred route of delivery for pharmaceutical products to its relative ease of manufacture and high patient compliance. However, complex tablet formulations can present a number of process challenges, necessitating careful design of both the formulation and the process. This thesis sets out to investigate some of the issues involved with the lubrication of roller compaction formulations in order to gain a greater understanding of the role of lubrications. A systematic study on the effect of magnesium stearate during feeding and compaction in a horizontally fed roller compactor has been conducted. The feasibility of a novel external lubrication was investigated as an engineering solution to prevent adhesion to roll surfaces in the absence of magnesium stearate from the formulation. Alternative formulation strategies and lubricants have been investigated to find suitable materials that provide similar lubricating properties to magnesium stearate whilst exhibiting less detrimental effects on the tablet strength and tablet dissolution. The feasibility of using surrogate APIs as an aid to facilitate process and formulation design of investigational drug products was tested using a statistical analysis of the response data obtained from an experimental design

Chapter 34 - Biocompatibility of nanocellulose: Emerging biomedical applications

Nanocellulose already proved to be a highly relevant material for biomedical applications, ensued by its outstanding mechanical properties and, more importantly, its biocompatibility. Nevertheless, despite their previous intensive research, a notable number of emerging applications are still being developed. Interestingly, this drive is not solely based on the nanocellulose features, but also heavily dependent on sustainability. The three core nanocelluloses encompass cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). All these different types of nanocellulose display highly interesting biomedical properties per se, after modification and when used in composite formulations. Novel applications that use nanocellulose includewell-known areas, namely, wound dressings, implants, indwelling medical devices, scaffolds, and novel printed scaffolds. Their cytotoxicity and biocompatibility using recent methodologies are thoroughly analyzed to reinforce their near future applicability. By analyzing the pristine core nanocellulose, none display cytotoxicity. However, CNF has the highest potential to fail long-term biocompatibility since it tends to trigger inflammation. On the other hand, neverdried BNC displays a remarkable biocompatibility. Despite this, all nanocelluloses clearly represent a flag bearer of future superior biomaterials, being elite materials in the urgent replacement of our petrochemical dependence

Numerical simulation and physical analysis of the dispersion of charged inertial particles transported by stationary homogeneous isotropic turbulence

In this work, we study by numerical simulation the effect of electric charges on the dispersion of particles transported by a turbulent flow. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved by Direct Numerical Simulations (spectral approach) coupled with a Lagrangian solver in order to calculate the trajectories of each particle. A stochastic forcing scheme allows to obtain statistically homogeneous, isotropic and stationary turbulent flows. In the thesis, an original method to take into account electrostatic forces has been developed and validated on elementary configurations. In this method, the short-range interactions are estimated via a sum of the inter-particle interactions inside a cut-off distance and the long-range ones via a sum of interactions of particles with groups of particles which, at a distance greater than the cut-off distance, are considered as pseudo-particles. The convergence, the precision and the computational cost of the method have been studied in detail for its implementation for tri-periodic domains. The ensemble of these developments has been carried out in a parallel code which allows to perform simulations on a supercomputer of gas-particle flows containing up to $2\times 10^5$ particles. Firstly, the analysis of dry granular flows allowed to define a characteristic time scale of the effect of electric charges and to link it to the physical properties of the particles, in particular their diameter and agitation. The mechanism of transformation of the electric potential energy into particle kinetic energy is analyzed according to this time scale. Secondly, simulations of homogeneous isotropic turbulence transporting like-charged particles were carried out by varying their diameter (dynamic Stokes number) and their charge (electrostatic Stokes number). The simulations show that, for a given dynamic Stokes, the increase in particle charge leads to a decrease in their agitation since the electrostatic (repulsive) forces are conservative. The detailed analysis shows that, in fact, the electrostatic forces lead to a destruction of the fluid-particle velocity correlation which, according to the Tchen-Hinze theory, drives particle agitation. Besides agitation, the spatial distribution of particles is also considerably modified by electrostatic forces. In fact, the charges decrease the short-range values of the particle pair distribution function, which means that the phenomenon of preferential concentration of the particles is attenuated. In the limit of strong charges, it is even completely eliminated since electrostatic forces tend to uniformize the spatial distribution of the particles. This is because each particle tends to form an exclusion zone around it due to the strong repulsion at short distance. The relative velocity distribution functions of particle pairs are also affected by the presence of charges. Finally, the effect of the particle volume fraction is examined, where it is shown that its increase leads to a higher electric potential energy density stored the cloud of charged particles which leads to an increase of particle agitation

XVIII International Coal Preparation Congress

Changes in economic and market conditions of mineral raw materials in recent years have greatly increased demands on the ef fi ciency of mining production. This is certainly true of the coal industry. World coal consumption is growing faster than other types of fuel and in the past year it exceeded 7.6 billion tons. Coal extraction and processing technology are continuously evolving, becoming more economical and environmentally friendly. “ Clean coal ” technology is becoming increasingly popular. Coal chemistry, production of new materials and pharmacology are now added to the traditional use areas — power industry and metallurgy. The leading role in the development of new areas of coal use belongs to preparation technology and advanced coal processing. Hi-tech modern technology and the increasing interna- tional demand for its effectiveness and ef fi ciency put completely new goals for the University. Our main task is to develop a new generation of workforce capacity and research in line with global trends in the development of science and technology to address critical industry issues. Today Russia, like the rest of the world faces rapid and profound changes affecting all spheres of life. The de fi ning feature of modern era has been a rapid development of high technology, intellectual capital being its main asset and resource. The dynamics of scienti fi c and technological development requires acti- vation of University research activities. The University must be a generator of ideas to meet the needs of the economy and national development. Due to the high intellectual potential, University expert mission becomes more and more called for and is capable of providing professional assessment and building science-based predictions in various fi elds. Coal industry, as well as the whole fuel and energy sector of the global economy is growing fast. Global multinational energy companies are less likely to be under state in fl uence and will soon become the main mechanism for the rapid spread of technologies based on new knowledge. Mineral resources will have an even greater impact on the stability of the economies of many countries. Current progress in the technology of coal-based gas synthesis is not just a change in the traditional energy markets, but the emergence of new products of direct consumption, obtained from coal, such as synthetic fuels, chemicals and agrochemical products. All this requires a revision of the value of coal in the modern world economy

Stability of nanoparticle agglomerates under mechanical stress and its effects on their release into the air

L'exposition professionnelle aux nanomatériaux manufacturés dans l'air présente des risques potentiels pour la santé des travailleurs dans les secteurs de la nanotechnologie. Il est important de comprendre les scénarios de libération des aérosols de nanoparticules dans les processus et les activités associées à l'exposition humaine. Les mécanismes de libération, y compris les taux de libération et les propriétés physico-chimiques des nanoparticules, déterminent leurs comportements de transport ainsi que les effets biologiques néfastes. La distribution de taille des particules d'aérosols est l'un des paramètres les plus importants dans ces processus. La stabilité mécanique d'agglomérats de nanoparticules affecte leurs distributions de tailles. Les potentiels de désagglomération de ces agglomérats déterminent les possibilités de leur déformation sous énergies externes. Cela rend les changements possibles dans leur distribution de taille et de la concentration en nombre qui vont finalement modifier leurs risques d'exposition. Les conditions environnementales, telles que l'humidité relative, peuvent influencer les processus de désagglomération par l'adhérence de condensation capillaire de l'humidité. L'objectif général de cette thèse était d'évaluer les scénarios de libération des nanomatériaux manufacturés des processus et activités sur le lieu de travail. Les sous-objectifs étaient les suivants: 1. Etudier les potentiels de désagglomération des nanoparticules dans des conditions environnementales variées. 2. Etudier la libération des nano-objets à partir de nanocomposites polymères; 3. Evaluer la libération de nanoparticules sur le lieu de travail dans des situations concrètes. Nous avons comparé différents systèmes de laboratoire qui présentaient différents niveau d'énergie dans l'aérosolisation des poudres. Des nanopoudres de TiO2 avec des hydrophilicités de surface distinctes ont été testées. Un spectromètre à mobilité électrique (SMPS), un spectromètre à mobilité aérodynamique (APS) et un spectromètre optique (OPC) ont été utilisés pour mesurer la concentration de particules et la distribution de taille des particules. La microscopie électronique à transmission (TEM) a été utilisée pour l'analyse morphologique d'échantillons de particules dans l'air. Les propriétés des aérosols (distribution de taille et concentration en nombre) étaient différentes suivant la méthode employée. Les vitesses des flux d'air d'aérosolisation ont été utilisées pour estimer le niveau d'énergie dans ces systèmes, et il a été montré que les tailles modales des particules étaient inversement proportionnelles à la vitesse appliquée. En général, les particules hydrophiles ont des diamètres plus grands et des nombres inférieurs à ceux des particules hydrophobes. Toutefois, cela dépend aussi des méthodes utilisées. La vitesse de l'air peut donc être un paramètre efficace pour le classement de l'énergie des procédés pour des systèmes d'aérosolisation similaires. Nous avons développé un système laboratoire pour tester les potentiels de désagglomération des nanoparticules dans l'air en utilisant des orifices critiques et un humidificateur. Sa performance a été comparée à un système similaire dans un institut partenaire. Une variété de nanopoudres différentes a été testée. Le niveau d'énergie appliquée et l'humidité ont été modifiés. Le SMPS et l'OPC ont été utilisés pour mesurer la concentration de particules et la distribution de la taille. Un TEM a été utilisé pour l'analyse morphologique d'échantillons de particules dans l'air. Le diamètre moyen des particules a diminué et la concentration en nombre s'est accrue lorsque des énergies externes ont été appliquées. Le nombre de particules inférieures à 100 nm a été augmenté, et celui au-dessus de 350 nm réduits. Les conditions humides ont faits exactement le contraire, en particulier pour les petites particules. En outre, ils ont réduits les effets de la différence de pression due à l'orifice. Les résultats suggèrent que la désagglomération d'agglomérats de nanoparticules dans l'air est possible dans la gamme d'énergie appliquée. Cependant, l'atmosphère humide peut favoriser leur agglomération et améliorer leurs stabilités en réduisant la libération de nanoparticules dans l'environnement. Nous proposons d'utiliser notre système pour le test de routine des potentiels de désagglomération des nanomatériaux manufacturés et de les classer. Un tel classement faciliterait la priorisation de l'exposition et du risque encouru en fonction du niveau d'ENM. Un système de perçage automatique et un système de sciage manuel ont été développés pour étudier la libération de nanoparticules à partir de différents types de nanocomposites. La vitesse de perçage et taille de la mèche ont été modifiées dans les expériences. La distribution de taille des particules et leur concentration en nombre ont été mesurées par un SMPS et un miniature diffusion size classifier (DISCmini). Les distributions de nanoparticules dans les composites et les particules libérées ont été analysés par un TEM et un microscope électronique à balayage (SEM). Les tests de perçage ont libérés un plus grand nombre de particules que le sciage. Des vitesses de perçage plus rapide et les mèches plus grandes ont augmentés la génération de particules. Les charges de nanoparticules manufacturées dans les composites ne modifient pas leurs comportements de libération dans les expériences de perçage. Toutefois, le sciage différencie les niveaux de libération entre les composites et les échantillons blancs. De plus, les vapeurs de polymères ont été générées par la chaleur de sciage. La plupart des particules libérées sont des polymères contenant des nanoparticules ou sur leurs surface. Les résultats ont souligné l'importance du type de processus et paramètres pour déterminer la libération de nanoparticules de composites. Les émissions secondaires telles que les fumées polymères appellent à la nécessité d'évaluations de l'exposition et de risque pour de tels scénarios. Une revue systématique de la littérature sur le sujet de libérations de nanoparticules dans l'air dans les secteurs industriels et laboratoires de recherche a été effectuée. Des stratégies de recherche des informations pertinentes et de stockage ont été développées. Les mécanismes de libération, tels que la taille de particules d'aérosol et de leur concentration en nombre, ont été comparés pour différentes activités. La disponibilité de l'information contextuelle qui est pertinente pour l'estimation de l'exposition humaine a été évaluée. Il a été constaté que les données relatives à l'exposition ne sont pas toujours disponibles dans la littérature actuelle. Les propriétés des aérosols libérés semblent dépendre de la nature des activités. Des procédés à haute énergie ont tendance à générer des plus hauts niveaux de concentrations de particules dans les gammes de plus petite taille. Les résultats peuvent être utiles pour déterminer la priorité des procédés industriels pour l'évaluation les risques associés dans une approche à plusieurs niveaux. Pour l'évaluation de l'exposition, la disponibilité de l'information peut être améliorée par le développement d'une meilleure méthode de communication des données