Wen, Y, Jiang, D, Gavriilidis, A et al. (1 more author) (2021) In-Silico Conceptualisation of Continuous Millifluidic Separators for Magnetic Nanoparticles. Materials, 14 (21). 6635. ISSN 1996-1944
Abstract
Magnetic nanoparticles are researched intensively not only for biomedical applications, but also for industrial applications including wastewater treatment and catalytic processes. Although these particles have been shown to have interesting surface properties in their bare form, their magnetisation remains a key feature, as it allows for magnetic separation. This makes them a promising carrier for precious materials and enables recovery via magnetic fields that can be turned on and off on demand, rather than using complex (nano)filtration strategies. However, designing a magnetic separator is by no means trivial, as the magnetic field and its gradient, the separator dimensions, the particle properties (such as size and susceptibility), and the throughput must be coordinated. This is showcased here for a simple continuous electromagnetic separator design requiring no expensive materials or equipment and facilitating continuous operation. The continuous electromagnetic separator chosen was based on a current-carrying wire in the centre of a capillary, which generated a radially symmetric magnetic field that could be described using cylindrical coordinates. The electromagnetic separator design was tested in-silico using a Lagrangian particle-tracking model accounting for hydrodynamics, magnetophoresis, as well as particle diffusion. This computational approach enabled the determination of separation efficiencies for varying particle sizes, magnetic field strengths, separator geometries, and flow rates, which provided insights into the complex interplay between these design parameters. In addition, the model identified the separator design allowing for the highest separation efficiency and determined the retention potential in both single and multiple separators in series. The work demonstrated that throughputs of ~1/4 L/h could be achieved for 250–500 nm iron oxide nanoparticle solutions, using less than 10 separator units in series
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | magnetic separation; continuous separation; magnetic nanoparticles; Lagrangian particle tracking; design optimisation; millifluidics |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemical & Process Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 26 Nov 2021 11:10 |
Last Modified: | 26 Nov 2021 11:10 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/ma14216635 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:180848 |