Ultrasound dewatering
removing water using ultrasound
Did you know that the Pulp and Paper Sector has the potential to be more energy efficient? A recent report by the U.S. Energy Department (2015) revealed that drying operations offer the biggest opportunity for saving energy in this industry.
We focus on a special class of paper materials called cellulose nanofibrils or CNFs.
CNFs are tiny particles made of cellulose that have a unique set of characteristics such as being renewable, sustainable, biodegradable, and having high mechanical strength.
They can be used in many different applications such as composites, coatings, biomedical devices, and more. However, one challenge in their use is that they are processed in water, which makes them costly to ship.
To make them more economical, they need to be dried or dewatered, but traditional drying methods can damage their nano-size structure and make them clump together.
We decided to tackle this grand challenge and came up with an idea to use ultrasound, instead of heat, to remove water.
This project has been Recognized internationally.
The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) and the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) presented the lead graduate student, Udita Ringania, with the 2021 Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation Award.
Major question
Can we develop a low-cost, scalable and energy-efficient method for dewatering cellulose nanomaterials?
What we’ve discovered
Read the papers
Dewatering of cellulose nanofibrils using ultrasound. Cellulose (2022).
Effect of fines percentage on ultrasonic dewatering of cellulose nanofibrils. Cellulose (2023).