Crystallization
The crystallization research group at the division of transport phenomena was started by Prof. Åke Rasmuson in 1985. At present, it consists of Prof. Rasmuson himself, one postdoc and three Ph.D. students.
The research group
The research group was formed at the Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH, in 1985. At present there are 4 Ph.D. students in the group. 20 Ph.D.'s have graduated from the group, and several are active in the field of crystallization. 21 licentiate theses have been presented. Crystallization is now since many years included in the advanced courses in chemical engineering given to 4th year students, and 66 diploma projects at the masters level have been performed within the field, many in cooperation with industry, some in cooperation with other research groups abroad. 72 papers have been published in scientific journals mostly of the highest standard, and 108 conference and course presentations have been given.
The research group has carried out about 21 investigations for industry on contracts with 13 different companies, and one additional project is ongoing. On topics proposed by companies, 9 literature studies have been performed. In 1990, a 2-day course was given to industrial engineers, and in 1992 and 1993 1-day courses were given. A long term education of 7 engineers from 5 different member companies has been given, comprising seminar days at KTH and individual education out in industry. A 3-day course was arranged during the spring 2003. A special two-day course for one company was arranged in 2010.
Each year the crystallization day is arranged during which the research work is reported. The industrial seminar day has been arranged 13 times during which companies present and discuss problems, or specific topics are addressed. By invitation, most of the leading international scientists in crystallization have been lecturing in Stockholm.
Prof. Rasmuson is the Swedish representative in the Working Party of Industrial Crystallization of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering, and is regularly a member of scientific committees of conferences in the field.
The IKF
On May 29, 1985 a group of Swedish industries formed The Industrial Association for Crystallization Research and Technology (IKF). By fundamental research, the basic goal is to create a competent and well advanced group in Sweden, which may support and contribute to the development of the industrial application of crystallization. At present, the IKF comprises 6 different companies: AstraZeneca Process R&D, Biovitrum, Cambrex, EKA Chemicals, GE Health and Perstorp. The Swedish National Board for Idustrial and Technical Development (NUTEK) contributed with approximately 40 % of the resources up to year 2000.
The long-term support of the industry (IKF) is important when the research group competes for other financial resources. The Swedish Council for Planning and Coordination of Research (FRN) has supported with funds for equipment to a value of approximately 2.5 MSEK. NUTEK has supported two additional projects on incrustation and on stirred suspension hydrodynamics, and the Swedish Research Council for Engineering Sciences (TFR), now the Swedish Research Council (VR) have supported/supports projects on reaction crystallization, on the influence of admixtures, on agglomeration in non-aqueous solutions, on crystallization kinetics as well as an image analysis system and an FTIR. A project on crystallization of non- process elements in liquid streams in pulp mills, was financed by the Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (MISTRA) within the program "Ecocyclic Pulp Mill". Two projects were financed by the Strategic Foundation (SF): "separation of enantiomers by direct crystallization" and "polymorphism and its control", within the program called "Selective Preparation of Fine Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals". One project on precipitation of FeF3·3H2O in pickling bath solutions is financed by the Swedish Energy Agency within the program "Industrial Separation Processes" and is performed in cooperation with the Swedish Environmental Institute (IVL).
A project on structure and nucleation of polymorphs started in 2005 and a project of on crystallization of co-crystals in 2008, by financing of VR. A project on spherical crystallization was initiated in 2005. Recently a project on the relation between nucleation properties and molecular properties has been initiated. The group participated in the European Thematic Network "CRYSOPT", together with about 30 industrial and academic partners.
