Modeling of Emulsion and Nanoparticle Processing Operations

Emulsions and nanoparticles are two important classes of colloids that have a very wide range of applications that span the petroleum, chemical, agricultural, pharmaceutical, foods and consumer/household products industries. A critical property of any colloidal dispersion is the particle size distribution, which affects dispersion rheology, stability, texture and appearance. The population balance equation (PBE) modeling framework is particularly well suited for these colloidal processing systems because functions describing single particle events such as breakage coalescence and aggregation can be incorporated within a fundamental number balance equation to predict the evolution of the particle size distribution. We used the PBE framework to develop dynamic models for predicting particle size distributions and their effects to facilitate more rapid development and optimization of emulsion and nanoparticle processing technologies. The models were applied to emulsification processes for manufacturing food products and to aggregation phenomenon in solid lipid nanoparticle dispersions.

Funding: National Science Foundation, Procter and Gamble and Unilever

Student: Shashank Maindarkar, Neha Raikar and Yuihi Yang

Collaborators: Peter Bongers (Unilever), Surita Bhatia (Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University), Hans Hoogland (Unilever), Al Corona (Procter and Gamble), Michael Malone (Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass), Julian McClements (Department of Food Science, UMass),

Publications:

  1. Raikar N., S. R. Bhatia, M. F. Malone and M. A. Henson, “Self-Similar Inverse Population Balance Modeling for Turbulently Prepared Batch Emulsions: Sensitivity to Measurement Errors,” Chemical Engineering Science, 61, 7421-7435 (2006). [PDF]
  2. Raikar N., S. R. Bhatia, M. F. Malone and M. A. Henson, “Experimental Studies and Population Balance Equation Modeling of Emulsion Drop Breakage,” Chemical Engineering Science, 64, 2433-2447 (2009). [PDF]
  3. Raikar N. B., S. R. Bhatia, M. F. Malone, D. J. McClements, C. Almeida-Rivera, P. Bongers and M. A. Henson, "Prediction of Emulsion Drop Size Distributions with Population Balance Equation Models of Multiple Drop Breakage," Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 361, 96-108 (2010). [PDF]
  4. Raikar, N. B., S. B. Bhatia, M. F. Malone, D. J. McClements and M. A. Henson, "Predicting the Effect of Pressure on the Drop Size Distributions of Homogenized Emulsions," Industrial Engineering and Chemistry Research, 50, 6089-6100 (2011). [Link]
  5. Maindarkar, S., N. B. Raikar and M. A. Henson, “Incorporating Drop Coalescence in Population Balance Equation Model for High Pressure Homogenization,” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 396, 63-73 (2012). [PDF]
  6. Yang, Y., A. Corona III and M. A. Henson, “Experimental Investigation and Population Balance Equation Modeling of Solid Lipid Nanoparticle Aggregation Dynamics,” Journal of Colloids and Interface Science, 374, 297-307 (2012). [PDF]
  7. Maindarkar, S., P. Bongers and M. A. Henson, “Predicting the Effects of Surfactant Coverage on Drop Size Distributions of Homogenized Emulsions,” Chemical Engineering Science, 89, 102-114 (2013). [PDF]
  8. Maindarkar, S., A. Dubbelboer, J. Meuldijn, H. Hoogland and M. A. Henson, “Prediction of Emulsion Drop Size Distributions in Colloid Mills,” Chemical Engineering Science, 118, 114-125 (2014). [PDF]
  9. Yang, Y., A. Corona III, B. Schubert, R. Reeder and M. A. Henson, “The Effect of Oil Type on the Aggregation Stability of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers,” Journal of Colloids and Interface Science, 418, 261-272 (2014). [Link]
  10. Atmuri, A., M. A. Henson and S. R. Bhatia, “A Population Balance Equation Model to Predict Regimes of Controlled Nanoparticle Aggregation,” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 436, 325-332 (2013). [PDF]
  11. Maindarkar, S., H. Hoogland and M. A. Henson, “Predicting the Combined Effects of Oil and Surfactant Concentrations on the Drop Size Distributions of Homogenized Emulsions,” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspect, 467, 18-30 (2015). [PDF]
  12. Maindarkar, S., H. Hoogland and M. A. Henson, “Achieving Target Emulsion Drop Size Distributions using Population Balance Equation Models of High Pressure Homogenization,” Industrial Engineering and Chemistry Research, 54, 10301-10310, (2015). [PDF]
  13. Yang, Y., S. R. Bhatia, A. Corona III and M. A. Henson, “The Controlled Aggregation and Tunable Viscosity of Nanostructured Lipid Carrier Dispersions,” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspect, 482, 138-147 (2015). [PDF]
  14. oil_weight_percent

    Prediction of drop size distributions and viscosities of homogenized oil-in-water emulsions with different oil weight fractions.