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The DECHEMA Award 2005 of the Max Buchner Research Foundation is conferred on
Professor Dr. ir. Pieter Jansens, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
for his integrated multi-disciplinary approach, from molecule to process, of separation technology in general and industrial crystallization in particular.
The award will be conferred in the course of a solemn colloquium in the house of DECHEMA, Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25, in Frankfurt/Main on November, 25th, at 16:00 pm.
The Award of the Max Buchner Research Foundation has been conferred annually since 1951 by DECHEMA, Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, for outstanding, published research in the fields of applied chemistry, process engineering, biotechnology, and chemical apparatus. Preference is given to younger scientists whose work is fundamentally important and successfully combines theory with practical application. The Award comprises an honorary certificate, a gold medal and a prize of 20,000 Euro.
Photographs from the awards ceremony will be available from the public relations department of DECHEMA e.V., Tel.: +49 69/7564-267, -296, Fax: +49 69/7564-272.
Industrial Crystallization: from molecular mechanics to mechanical design
Many chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic or food products have at least once been crystallised during their production. In principle, there is a unique relationship between the process conditions and the product characteristics of industrial crystallizers and precipitators. In practice, it is troublesome to produce crystals with a constant quality according to specifications and scale-up of this unit-operation sometimes leads to an undesired change of key product characteristics, like size distribution, shape and even polymorphic form. Lack of consideration for the spatial and temporal distribution of process conditions in crystallizers and precipitators as well as a lack of understanding of the interplay between hydrodynamics and crystallization kinetics are the culprits.
Pieter Jansens has recognised this problem and his group has adopted an integrated approach whereby they strive to study and to model kinetic processes, like primary and secondary nucleation, growth rate dispersion, polymorphic transformation and agglomeration, at the relevant scales of length and time. Crystallization & precipitation kinetics are treated in concert with hydrodynamics with emphasis on micro-mixing for precipitating of sparingly soluble compounds and emphasis on two-way coupled solid-liquid interactions for crystallization of highly soluble compounds.
At present the group is pursuing two main lines of research in this field. The first line is task-based design and control of industrial crystallizers, operated at steady-state or under transient conditions. The second is a-priori prediction and manipulation of the product characteristics in rapid precipitation processes, focussing on concomitant formation of different polymorphs of a single compound.
The research is founded on experimental work on a range of scales, from microscope to semi-industrial pilot plants, and it relies heavily on the usage of advanced computing tools like molecular modelling, dynamic process simulation and computational fluid dynamics.
The group of Professor Jansens benefits from interaction with other groups of the TU Delft specialised in physical transport phenomena, fluid flow, applied thermodynamics, catalysis and reactor engineering, equipment design, process control, and process systems engineering. They collaborate with national and international experts in nucleation, crystal growth, polymorphism, and crystallizer control. Most research projects are carried out in partnership with industry or are partly sponsored by industry. The group cherishes its good and working relationship with many industrial parties and academic groups in Germany.
Professional Background
Pieter Jansens was born in 1966 and studied Chemical Engineering at the TU Delft. In 1994 he completed his PhD thesis (Cum Laude) in the field of Fractional Melt Crystallization of Organic Compounds under supervision of Prof. Van Rosmalen & Prof. De Graauw. He subsequently joined Shell, where he worked on the development of the CARILON® slurry polymerization process in the Shell Research & Technology Centre Amsterdam, the design of SMPO (Styrene Monomer Propylene Oxide) plants with ABB Lummus in Voorburg and the operation of a new SMPO plant in Singapore. In 2000 Pieter Jansens took up his current position of full professor in separation technology at the TU Delft. His research is focussing on the development of multi-functional separation processes and industrial crystallization technology. Since 2003 he is the scientific director of the Delft Centre for Sustainable Industrial Processes and recently became the head of the department of Process & Energy. Prof. Dr. ir. Pieter Jansens is a member of the VDI/GVC working Crystallization, the European Federation of Chemical Engineers (EFCE) working party on Industrial Crystallization and the editorial board of Chemical Engineering Research & Design (IChemE, EFCE).
The DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology) is a non-profit making scientific and technical society based in Frankfurt on Main. It was founded in 1926. Nowadays it has over 5000 private and institutional members. Our aim is to promote research and technical advances in the areas of chemical engineering, biotechnology and environmental protection. Our work is interdisciplinary, with scientists, engineers, and technologists working together under one roof. Experts from science, business, and government departments cooperate in working parties and subject divisions. |
The DECHEMA Award 2005 is conferred on Prof. Dr. ir. Pieter Jansens, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands.
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