Industrial Powder Research Articles

Foam-mat drying technology applied for the development of cashew juice powder: effect on physicochemical properties and principal component analysis

Foam-mat drying technology has gained attention due to its ability to process sensitive fruits and produce products with desired properties while retaining their volatiles that otherwise would be lost during the drying of non-foamed materials. The objective of the study was to obtain cashew juice by drying foam-mat and evaluate the effect of adding different concentrations of ovalbumin (2%, 3% and 6%) on the physicochemical properties through the analysis of principal components. Treatments with 2% and 3% OVA showed hydrophilic characteristics that favored rehydration in aqueous mixtures. The treatment with 2% OVA showed superior results in water absorption (0.32 gH2O/g), hygroscopicity (36.52%) and lower pH (4.33). The high solubility in water (9.23%) observed in the treatment with 3% OVA. The treatment with 6% OVA showed greater oil absorption (3.23 gOil/g) characterized as more hydrophobic and can be recommended for flavoring cake mixes. Therefore, the results indicated that foam-mat drying using ovalbumin as a foaming agent has potential as a new technology to be implemented in the juice powder industry.

Identification of elite accession of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L. Dunal) for root yield and brittleness

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L. Dunal) is a commercially important arid to subtropical type agroecology crop. The field experiments were conducted at ICAR-DMAPR, Anand and ARS, AU, Samdari under agro-climatic zones III and IA, respectively. The impact of both locations was studied and diverse morphotypes of Ashwagandha were evaluated for physical, chemical and molecular parameters due to genotypic traits. The accessions were observed to be eclectic in morphological, molecular and chemical content compared to available checks. Accession DNA-4 is unique for number of branches, dry stem weight, berry size, root weight, number of secondary roots, root size, test weight and root yield. Accession DTWr-1 is unique for crude fiber, starch and total withanolides content. The result obtained from evaluation studies showed that accession DNA-4 will be suitable for the powder industry and the extraction industry might prefer DTWr-1. DTWr-1 and DNA-4 were earnestly performed under both locations. Both the morphotypes with high starch and low crude fibre content roots fetch a premium price under Agro-climatic zone IA and maintain root brittleness suitable for churna and extract preparation. Overall, the region-specific cultivation of selected elites under particular agro-climatic conditions for specific purposes will be promoted.

ADDED VALUE OF ROBUSTA COFFEE PROCESSING IN BANG MOEL COFFEE HOME INDUSTRY INDIFFERENT PACKAGING

The added value of processing coffee beans into robusta coffee powder and using different packaging, namely labeled plastic packaging, and clear plastic packaging, will of course bring benefits to these entrepreneurs. Therefore, it is necessary to discussin more detail to find out the added value obtained by the robusta coffee powder processing business in the Bang Moel Kopi household industry. This study aims to determine the added value obtained from the processing of robusta coffee powder in the household industry of Bang Moel Kopi in producing coffee powder. In this study, the analysis used is the hayami analysis method. The results of the study show that the value-added ratio of label packaging robusta coffee powder is in a high value-added positionbecause it is >40%, while the value-added ratio of plastic packaging is in the value-added category while curry has a percentage of 15-40%.

Social-economic and environment impacts for a fish reverse supply chain: A mixed integer linear optimization approach

This study contributes to the fish reverse supply chain due to a lack of social, economic and environmental impacts. This study aims to develop a mathematical model for the fish reverse supply chain with a multi-echelon, multiple periods, and products. The model optimizes total profit, job opportunities, and carbon emissions simultaneously. The proposed model provides social-economic insight for governments and industries to understand the increasing job opportunities if fish gelatine and powder industries can process fish waste. A sensitivity analysis shows that the supply of raw fish, selling prices, and purchasing costs are sensitive to total profit, carbon emissions, and job opportunities. The results show that the total profit for five months is USD 1,437,837, and the most significant contribution to the total cost is the costs of purchasing, emission costs, and production costs, which are 43.83%, 24.02%, and 18.15%, respectively. These results can assist managers in making optimal decisions regarding raw fish supply, halal fish gelatine, and fish powder production, impacting strategic, tactical, and operational policies.

REACTIVITY OF ALUMINUM OXIDE PRECURSORS FOR SOLID-PHASE FORMATION OF MgAl2O4 SPINEL

The reactivity of various alumina precursors in the reaction of magnesia spinel formation is compared: industrial powders (corundum powder KP, alumina: metallurgical GC, non-metallurgical G-00, reactive RG) and the xerogel combustion product from aluminum nitrate with citric acid under conditions of mechanical activating treatment and without it. The infrared spectra of corundum and periclase after mechanical treatment of various types (impact-abrasion in a planetary mill, abrasion in a ball-ring mill) were analyzed. It has been found that short-term action not only activated the components, but also contributed to the destruction of adsorption compounds at the preparation stage. The effect of mechanical activation of reagents on spinel yield was analyzed. It has been established that the alumina xerogel combustion product without annealing was X-ray amorphous, which suggested its high chemical activity. When using it, a more complete binding of initial reagents into the product was found compared to a mixture of periclase and corundum. Even in the absence of mechanical activation of the components, it was possible to achieve a high spinel yield (up to 80%). The obtained values of the effective reaction rate constants indicated a greater efficiency of mechanical treatment, including an impact component, with the combined activation of periclase and corundum/alumina. Co-treatment of reagents in a planetary mill (PM) made it possible to increase the reaction rate by 6-6.5 times, while abrasion in a ball-ring mill was only 1.7 times. Pretreatment of one component of the initial mix in PM was the most expedient for periclase, since it allowed to speed up the reaction by ~ 5 times, and is also the most profitable energetically and technologically due to the treatment of only one component of reduced hardness. The use of xerogel combustion product in the spinel synthesis was very effective, because it accelerated the process by ~4 times even without preliminary activation by mechanical means. For citation: Filatova N.V., Kosenko N.F., Artyushin A.S., Maloivan M.S., Zonina I.I., Vlasenkov A.S. Reactivity of aluminum oxide precursors for solid-phase formation of MgAl2O4 spinel. ChemChemTech [Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved. Khim. Khim. Tekhnol.]. 2024. V. 67. N 12. P. 15-24. DOI: 10.6060/ivkkt.20246712.7152.

Advanced graph neural network-based surrogate model for granular flows in arbitrarily shaped domains

In next-generation manufacturing, the introduction of a surrogate model is crucial for constructing a digital twin. This trend is no exception in powder industry. Various mesh-free approaches such as the discrete element method (DEM) are versatile tools for facilitating simulation-based digital twins of powder industries. Unfortunately, the DEM-based high-fidelity simulation of actual industrial processes poses a significant challenge because of the prohibitive computational costs. In this context, the surrogate model has emerged as a promising technique to solve this problem. However, surrogate modeling of powder processes within arbitrarily shaped boundaries is substantially impossible. To resolve this essential problem in the existing surrogate models for the DEM, we propose a novel surrogate model, namely, a signed distance function-based graph neural network (SGN), to accelerate the simulations of granular flows. In the SGN, the wall boundary is efficiently modeled by combining the graph structure with a signed distance function. Validation studies were conducted in typical powder systems, such as a sandglass, a rotating drum and a rotating-paddle mixer. A systematic comparison of the simulation results between the high-fidelity and SGN simulations shows that the proposed SGN accurately reproduces the DEM simulations, with a remarkable increase in computational efficiency. This study significantly contributes to the next-generation manufacturing in the powder industry.

Drying kinetics and energy efficiency of Y2O3–CeO2 co-doped ZrO2 powder under microwave heating

Zirconia has important application prospects in the field of ceramics. However, during a high-temperature heating process, pure zirconia will undergo martensite transformation, which seriously affects its service performance. Metal oxides, such as Y2O3–CeO2 doping ZrO2, effectively improve the toughness and fire resistance of the material. Thus, the drying of Y2O3–CeO2 co-doped ZrO2 powder is an essential step before practical application. The study employs contemporary microwave drying techniques. The results of the experiment show that the average microwave drying rate increases with an increase in mass, water content, and microwave heating power. When the initial mass was 30 g, the initial moisture content was 12 %, microwave power was 720 W, and the drying rate was the fastest. We used four dynamic models: Modified Page, Quadratic, Wang and Singh, and Page to fit the experiment data. The best model was Modified Page, which describes the kinetic process most accurately. Fick's second law describes how, in the drying process, when microwave power is 720 W, initial mass is 15 g and initial water content is 8 %, the effective diffusion coefficient is 5.25 × 10−16 m2/s. Fourier Transforms of the infrared spectrum of the samples before and after drying were analyzed, the intensity of the O–H absorption peak located at 3442.03 cm/s, and O–H–O absorption peak located at 1594.48 cm/s. Both decreased significantly after drying. To discuss the relationship between the microwave power and the diffusion coefficient, the activating energy of microwave heating was 32.01 W/g. The experimental results show high heating efficiency and selective heating of the microwave method. This study provides a theoretical basis and research data for microwave drying of Y2O3/CeO2 co-doped ZrO2 powder in industry.

Validation study on a coarse-grained DEM-CFD simulation in a bead mill

A bead mill is often employed in powder processes. In the bead mill, the bead-particles move rapidly under high shear rate due to the moving structures. The discrete element method (DEM) coupled with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been applied to simulate the bead-particle behavior for the optimization of the bead mill design and operating conditions. However, the existing DEM-CFD method faces essential problems regarding the substantial limit of the number of computational particles, stable calculations, and modeling of rapidly moving structures. To solve these problems, we newly investigate a numerical model combining the coarse-grained DEM-CFD, an implicit algorithm for the drag force term, and a scalar field-based wall boundary in the calculation of a bead mill commonly employed in industrial powder processes. In this study, our proposed model is shown to successfully simulate the macroscopic behavior of the bead-particles through the validation test of the coarse-grained DEM-CFD simulation in the bead mill system. Specifically, the macroscopic characteristics such as the particle location, the particle velocity, and total kinetic energy, are shown to agree well between the original particle system and coarse-grained particle systems. Consequently, this study illustrates the combination of the coarse-grained DEM-CFD, an implicit algorithm for the drag force term, and the scalar field-based wall boundary is essential for simulating the typically industrial bead mill, where an enormous number of bead-particles should be calculated in liquid under high shear rate.

A graded structure of silicon/carbon composite powder for highly stable lithium ion battery anode

Silicon has much higher theoretical specific capacity than traditional graphite materials (3579 mAh g−1vs. Graphite: 372mAh g−1). However huge volumetric expansion (∼300%) of silicon seriously reduces its cyclic stability as anode in lithium-ion batteries. Though reduce the size of silicon based composites to nanoscale and tuning their porosity have been extensively studied, above strategies reduce the vibration density of the anode material unsurprisingly, which is not conducive to the advantage of high volumetric capacity anode. In this work, we design a unique graded silicon/carbon powder to maintain excellent energy storage performance at high vibration density. The composite of graded structure is constructed by first particles and second particles. The construction strategy is proved to be adoptable to achieve cost effective production of high performance silicon/carbon composite anode for development of advanced lithium-ion battery. Under the premise of industrial powder materials’ production technologies, a graded structure silicon/carbon composite with optimized synthetic condition shows high-reversible capacity of 827.4 mAh g−1 at 200 mAh g−1 (equal to 1464.5 Ah L−1) and it capacity remains at 715.0 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles, with a capacity retention rate of 86.37%, which shows high cycle life.

Effect of natural colorants on the quality attributes of pea protein-based meat patties

The effects of natural colorants, i.e., 1.5% (v/v) caramel, 12% (v/v) tomato powder, and 4.7% (v/v) grape skin powder, on the quality attributes of pea protein-based meat patties were investigated. These patties consisted of texturized pea protein, coconut oil and corn flour, serving as plant-based meat alternatives. The changes in quality attributes for 10 days storage at 4 °C and after cooking were analysed. The results showed that the incorporation of natural colorants led to a decrease in lightness (L*) in the patties, with tomato powder causing a significant increase in redness (a*) and yellowness (b*). Furthermore, the addition of natural colorants increased the total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and FRAP activity, which could have contributed to the inhibition of lipid oxidation in the products. This was confirmed by the lower TBARS values in natural colourants added pea protein meat patties. Additionally, the incorporation of natural colorants affected the texture profile of the pea protein meat patties. These findings may expand the application of natural colorants such as tomato powder and grape skin powder in the plant protein-based meat industry.

Improving the cleaning uniformity of rectangular flat pleated filter with pulse-jet airflow by the new type of intensive injection nozzle

The rectangular flat pleated filter is widely used in the industrial field due to its compactness and high efficiency in dust removal. However, due to the large number of folds and the extremely small gaps between folds, achieving complete cleaning is a key technical challenge. A new type of injection nozzle has been proposed, the effects of different injection nozzles on the static pressure acting on the inner wall of the rectangular flat pleated filter were investigated through multi-condition cleaning experiments and industrial powder coating verification experiments. The performance of the uniform pressure distribution can be enhanced by 17.67% compared to the traditional circular nozzle, especially 88 × Ф2.4 mm injection pipe, which has the optimum cleaning performance at 0.2 MPa and 20 mm. The relationship between the comprehensive pressure and number of the injection nozzles is put forward: Pζ=0.2n2−21.59n+1322.02, which is also applicable to traditional circular nozzle. The filtration velocity has more apparent impact on the cleaning efficiency of the filter, while the influence of gas-solid concentration is not significant. According to the requirements of different industrial scenes, the filtration velocity and the gas-solid concentration can be appropriately reduced within a certain range to make the filter more efficient.

Neural network-based Raman spectral recognition model for milk powder and wheat flour

The problem of counterfeit milk powder has occurred in recent years, and one of the standard techniques is to adulterate milk powder with wheat flour to reduce the cost. Since the morphology and colour of wheat flour are similar to that of milk powder, it is not easy to distinguish it from the naked eye, so a rapid method for detecting wheat flour adulteration in milk powder is urgently needed. This study used Raman spectral analysis as a novel and efficient screening technique. With the advantages of high sensitivity, non-destructive detection, low cost, no contamination, and online analysis, this method can play an essential role in rapid food detection and production control. By processing and analyzing the spectral data, a neural network model for identifying milk powder and wheat flour based on Raman spectroscopy has been developed in this study, and the model's performance has been evaluated. The results show that the model can quickly and accurately identify the proportion of wheat flour in milk powder to determine whether milk powder is adulterated or not. The results of this study are of great significance in ensuring the safety of infant milk powder. In the future, the method can be further optimized, for example, to improve detection speed and accuracy and to provide a more reliable quality control method for the milk powder industry.

Transforming waste perlite into super lightweight ceramsite: Ratios optimization via uniform design, and investigating calcium fluoride and silicon carbide effects on foaming

The utilization of waste perlite powder generated from mining operations in the construction industry represents a significant step towards enhancing environmental sustainability. This study applies a uniform design of experiments to delve into the apparent density characteristics of super lightweight ceramsite concerning the proportions of solid waste materials, with a particular focus on waste perlite powder. To gain insights into the apparent density, first- and second-order polynomial equations were developed. These equations are founded on the utilization of five core raw materials, including waste perlite powder, fly ash, bentonite, calcium fluoride, and silicon carbide, and were meticulously analyzed using stepwise regression techniques. This approach led to the successful optimization of test ratios, achieving the envisioned outcomes. Additionally, the research explores the influence of calcium fluoride and silicon carbide on the foaming properties of materials under varying maximum sintering temperature conditions. Ultimately, the optimized conditions yielded super lightweight ceramsite with impressive properties, boasting a bulk density of 281 kg/m³, water absorption efficiency of 1.2%, and a compressive strength of 2.72 MPa. This research showcases the potential for utilizing waste perlite powder in the construction industry, not only as a sustainable alternative but also as a means to reduce environmental impact. The development of super lightweight ceramsite underlines the promise of eco-friendly construction materials, driving forward the agenda of environmentally responsible building practices.

A novel combination of machine learning models and metaheuristic algorithm to predict important parameters of twin screw wet granulation process

Twin screw granulation (TSG) has recently been emerged as a novel approach for the continuous wet granulation of fine particles (i.e., powders) in the pharmaceutical industry. The presence of brilliant advantages like the ability of operation at very low liquid concentrations and excellent product consistency has made this technique promising. Except positive points, the existence of major challenges like scalability and flexibility in the processing regimes has enhanced the importance of deeper investigations towards true recognition of this process. The central aim of this theoretical article is to develop the modeling process of TSG employing four machine learning models and one metaheuristic algorithms in a hybrid approach. Screw speeds, material throughputs, liquid binder (water)-to-solid ratios, and screw configurations are known as important parameters of TSG process, which were validated via their comparison with the obtained experimental data. GBR, SGD, and SVR were finally selected for 3 targets with their best combinations of hyper-parameters employing FA. The output is based on d-values (d10, d50, d90) for the granulate particle size distribution (PSD). Final models have R2 scores of 0.919, 0.960, and 0.877 for d10, d50, d90 outputs, respectively.

Adaptive powder nozzle setup for enhanced efficiency in laser metal deposition

Laser metal deposition (LMD) is a blown powder process used for the additive manufacturing of large and/or complex parts. The laser spot size is determined by the fiber optic cable and the imaging ratio of the process optics. Spot sizes typically used in LMD can range from 200 μm to several millimeters, whereby zoom optics can be employed to change the laser spot focus within seconds during the process. However, industrial powder nozzles are still static in terms of powder spot size. Changing the powder spot size in line with the laser spot size could ensure the favorable dual outcome of time savings when printing large volumes while also generating fine near-net-shape features. To help overcome the current limitations in the LMD process, this work examines an adaptive powder nozzle setup. In this discrete coaxial layout of three single lateral powder injectors, the individual powder injectors can be adjusted closer to or further from the process to, respectively, dilate or shrink the powder stream focus. Different inner diameters of powder injectors are hereby examined. The resulting powder propagation behavior is characterized for different setups of the single powder nozzles. Single beads are welded with different nozzle setups for fine and coarse powder spots, while the laser spot size is changed accordingly using zoom optics. The laser power is a closed-loop controlled by a two-color pyrometer to achieve comparative process temperatures. The single beads are evaluated with regard to their geometry. High-speed imaging provides supplementary information on weld bead generation.

The Effect of Mn Doping and Ti3+ Defects at TiO2 Surfaces in NO and SO2 Gas Capture Investigated Using Near-Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

The removal of air pollutants is an important research topic in order to improve the environment. In addition, many common pollutants can affect human health to varying degrees. In this work, we investigate NO and SO2 conversion by reaction with a commonly used metal oxide catalyst, TiO2. Rutile TiO2(110) single crystals and industrial powder samples used in sunscreen are studied using near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) as a main tool. This allows in situ monitoring of the gas conversion process. We find Ti3+ defects (oxygen vacancies) or Mn oxides/cations (MnO) at the TiO2 surfaces can improve the conversion of NO and SO2 to surface-bound species. MnO and Ti3+ defects at the surface of rutile TiO2(110) exhibit a synergistic effect on the conversion of NO and SO2 that is significantly improved by nearly an order of magnitude. The by-products are mainly in the form of NO3−, SO32−, and SO42−. We find the main oxidation products formed on the single crystals are subtly different from those on the industrial powder samples. For TiO2 nanopowders (undoped and Mndoped), the presence of Mn also shows improvement in toxic gas adsorption capacity. Overall, it is believed that the outcome obtained from NAP-XPS in this research provides useful insights for the future use of TiO2 in pollutant gas capture.

Bidisperse micro fluidized beds: Effect of bed inclination on mixing

Micro fluidized beds are basically suspensions of solid particles by an ascending fluid in a millimeter-scale tube, with applications in chemical and pharmaceutical processes involving powders. Although in many applications beds are polydisperse, previous works considered only monodisperse beds aligned in the vertical direction. However, introducing an inclination with respect to gravity leads to different bed patterns and mixing levels, which can be beneficial for some applications. In this paper, we investigate experimentally the behavior of micro gas–solid beds consisting of bidisperse mixtures under different inclinations. In our experiments, mono- and bidisperse beds are filmed with a high-speed camera, and the images are processed for obtaining measurements at both the bed and grain scales. We show that the degree of segregation is larger for vertical beds, but mixing varies non-monotonically with inclination, with an optimal angle of 30°–50° with respect to gravity. By computing the mean and fluctuation velocities of grains, we reveal that the mixing layer results from the competition between segregation by kinetic sieving and circulation promoted by the fluid flow. We also observe worse fluidization as the angle relative to gravity increases, accounting then for the non-monotonic behavior. Our results bring new insights into mixing and segregation in polydisperse beds, which can be explored for processing powders in industry.

Study of physicochemical properties of secondary electroerosive molybdenum powder obtained in isopropyl alcohol

The results of obtaining and studying the physicochemical properties of powdered molybdenum obtained by electrodispersing molybdenum waste in isopropyl alcohol are presented. It is shown that the use of electrodispersion to obtain powdered molybdenum in isopropyl alcohol provides a high level of physico-chemical properties, corresponds to TU 48-19-69—80 for high purity metal molybdenum and exceeds industrial powders obtained by mechanical grinding and reduction in molybdenum content, while the composition of the new powdered molybdenum contains fewer impurities.

Robusta Coffee Marketing Channel Analysis Picking Rainbows and Picking Reds in Pagar Alam City

Pagar Alam City is one of the cities in South Sumatra Province located between Bukit Barisan and Mount Dempo. It has the potential for developing Robusta coffee because it has characteristics that match the criteria for growing Robusta coffee. The coffee plantation area in Pagar Alam City is 8,237 hectares, with Robusta coffee productivity reaching 12,782 kg/year, which influences marketing activities, which generally involve farmers, village intermediaries, city intermediaries, exporters, coffee powder industry, roasteries, coffee shops, and consumers. The involvement of various marketing institutions results in differences in the price of robusta coffee between marketing channels due to the implementation of marketing functions. In this research, the technique used in determining the sample was purposive sampling and snowball sampling. The number of informants in the research was 35 people, and the analysis used was descriptive qualitative with marketing channel analysis. There are three marketing channels for rainbow-picked Robusta coffee channels, namely first Farmers – Village Middlemen – City Middlemen – Exporters, second Farmers – City Middlemen – Exporters, and third Farmers – Exporters. There are four marketing channels for red-picked Robusta coffee, namely the first, Farmers – Coffee Powder Industry, second, Farmers – Roastery, third, Farmers – Consumers, and Farmers – Coffee Shop. Keywords: Marketing Channels, Robusta Coffee, Petik Pelangi, Petik Merah The majority of rainbow picked robusta coffee farmers to sell in the first channel Farmers - Village Middlemen - City Middlemen - Exporters because this channel is the longest and most farmers sell, and the majority of red picked farmers sell in the first channel Farmers - Coffee Powder Industry and second Farmers - Roastery because their orders are always there. Keywords: Marketing Channels, Robusta Coffee, Petik Pelangi, Petik Merah

Effect Of UV-Assisted Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) Photocatalysis on Viable Airborne Bacteria and Fungi in The Seasoning Powder Industry

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been known to have anti-microbial activity against fungi, bacteria, and viruses. The application of TiO2 in the membrane attached to the air conditioner was expected to minimize airborne microorganisms. This study contribution to investigate the efficacy of UV-assisted TiO2 photocatalysis in controlling airborne microorganisms in the seasoning powder industry. TiO2 was coated to the non-woven membrane and attached with a UV lamp inside the air conditioner. When the AC was on, the Ti3+ was released into the air. Enumeration of airborne microorganisms was conducted by opening the agar plates for 15 min at several food processing facilities, followed by incubating agar plates for 72 hours at 30 °C. The result shows dry processing facility had the highest number of initial airborne bacteria while the wet production facility had the highest number of initial airborne fungi. Interestingly, the number of airborne microorganisms fluctuated in the packaging facility related to the number of people going inside and outside. On the contrary, the number of airborne microorganisms was deficient in empty rooms, which indicated that the number of airborne microorganisms might be related to people and products. Overall, airborne microorganisms were reduced after 60 min of irradiation. Therefore, it is recommended to irradiate the facilities for 60 min before production start. SEM images and EDAX analysis results show TiO2 was detected after 160 h. However, it was recommended to change the TiO2 membrane after one month. This research was expected to contribute to controlling airborne microorganisms during food production in food processing facilities.