Separation of Nano‐scaled Particles by Flocculation

Owing to the increased application of nanoparticles in engineering industries, the development of separation techniques to isolate nanoparticles grew as important as the one to isolate micro‐ or macro‐sized particles. Centrifugation, filtration, and precipitation are the common processes used to sep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering & technology 2021-03, Vol.44 (3), p.378-386
Main Authors: Yeap, Swee Pin, Sum, Jing Yao, Toh, Pey Yi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical precipitation
Flocculation
Flocculation mechanism
Nanoparticle separation
Nanoparticles
Polymer
Separation
Surfactant
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Summary:Owing to the increased application of nanoparticles in engineering industries, the development of separation techniques to isolate nanoparticles grew as important as the one to isolate micro‐ or macro‐sized particles. Centrifugation, filtration, and precipitation are the common processes used to separate nanoparticles from a suspension. Interestingly, these processes work best if the nanoparticles are preflocculated into a larger cluster. Flocculation of nanoparticles may involve a complex mechanism affected by the physicochemical and molecular properties of the flocculant. A review of the effects induced by these factors on the flocculation of nanoparticles is given. The applications of advanced flocculation approaches as well as the research gaps in this research area are discussed. Applications of the preflocculation method to enhance the separation of nano‐sized particles are reviewed. The flocculation efficiency is discussed based on the charge density, molecular weight, concentration, and molecular structure of the flocculant. The discussion was extended to advanced flocculation approaches such as the dual flocculant method and the magnetic flocculant method.
ISSN:0930-7516
1521-4125
DOI:10.1002/ceat.202000260