화학공학소재연구정보센터
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.54, No.7, 2227-2236, 2015
Effect of Processing Parameters on the Production of Pickering Emulsions
Emulsification experiments were performed in an unbaffled tank using an off-centered pitched-blade turbine. The effects of mixing time, particle concentration, impeller speed, and oil viscosity on the production of Pickering emulsions were investigated. Emulsification efficiency was quantified by size distribution measurements using a Mastersizer 3000 (Malvern). Mixing and circulation times were measured using a decolorization technique to investigate the effect of impeller speed on the stabilization process. There was a strong interaction among all the parameters affecting mixing tank hydrodynamics. Optimal conditions were determined in order to produce the smallest droplets with the narrowest distribution. Droplet production and coverage were involved simultaneously in the interaction, which is very different from surfactant-based systems where the stabilization step is much faster than the droplet production step and where droplet breakage is promoted by reducing the interfacial tension. The impeller speed and emulsification time results indicated that the shear level in the impeller zone, the energy dissipation rate, and the fluid circulation time are important drivers of the stabilization mechanism. The particle concentration results showed that the particle effect played a role in the production of an interface and in stabilization efficiency.