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Continuous crystallization of adipic acid with ultrasound

Better control of crystallization processes is important to the future competitiveness of the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industry. In this collaborative CASE award project with Pfizer, operation of a novel continuous cooling crystallization system coupled with ultrasound technology to crystallize adipic acid from an aqueous solution was investigated and compared with conventional batchwise crystallization. The results demonstrate that the continuous sonocrystallization process presents the possibility of greatly improved crystallization operation compared with traditional methods with potential for competitive enhancements of pharmaceutical manufacturing methodology. This work led directly to further industrial collaboration with GSK and Pfizer sponsored by the EPSRC.