Chemical Engineering in Aqueous Systems
The group, led by Prof. Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen, is studying the unit operations of aqueous systems and the solid-liquid phases equilibria.
Water has an important role in many unit operations in applications of the chemical industry, hydrometallurgy, wood processing, food production, the metal industry and biorefining. For instance, different types of unit operations of water systems include precipitation, crystallization, freezing, eutectic freeze crystallization, drying, evaporation, absorption and adsorption, dissolution, heat transfer and post-processing of liquids and solids.
For a deeper understanding and modelling of production processes, it is also important to know the states of equilibrium between multiphase systems. The gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, and solid-liquid states of equilibrium in water systems need to be known with a sufficient degree of precision.
Water has an important role in many unit operations in applications of the chemical industry, hydrometallurgy, wood processing, food production, the metal industry and biorefining. For instance, different types of unit operations of water systems include precipitation, crystallization, freezing, eutectic freeze crystallization, drying, evaporation, absorption and adsorption, dissolution, heat transfer and post-processing of liquids and solids.
For a deeper understanding and modelling of production processes, it is also important to know the states of equilibrium between multiphase systems. The gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, and solid-liquid states of equilibrium in water systems need to be known with a sufficient degree of precision.
Recent research activities:
- Separation and purification of valued compounds from biorefineries, metals from waste and side streams, nutrients and other recyclable materials by crystallization and precipitation.
- Identification of critical impurities and their separation from solutions.
- Crystallization of mesocrystals for pharmaceutical applications.
- Regeneration of chemicals: concentration of aqueous solutions containing green solvents by freezing.
- Pre-treatment of aqueous electrolyte solutions to remove fine particles by microfiltration and organic compounds by adsorption containing.
- Real-time monitoring of crystal growth and nucleation kinetics and separation efficiency of microfiltration.
Our lab and facilities:
- We have good facilities consisting of a laboratory scale stirred tank station which allows studies on continuous, semi-batch and batch process mode at ambient or lower pressures. The station is equipped with a calorimeter and accurate temperature control system. Various crystallization methods, such as cooling crystallization, evaporative crystallization, reactive crystallization and anti-solvent crystallization, can be investigated.
- Melt crystallization devices for layer and suspension crystallization studies.
- Solid-liquid equilibria research based on thermal analysis methods, solubility measurements and optical detection of saturation point of solutions.
- Realtime monitoring of chord lengths of particulates in fluids.
- Thermodynamic modeling of electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions.
- Vacuum and pressure test filters for filterability studies to determine principle filtration parameters.
Research group members:
Damla Liljeström-Serper
Visitor Aalto doctoral student
Latest publications:
Paula Översti, Bing Han, Eeva-Leena Rautama, Jari Kavakka, Staffan Torssell, Pekka Oinas, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2026
Crystal Growth and Design
Anna Zaykovskaya, Mitra Ila, Michael Ginter, Erik Temmel, Martin Schwiderski, Manfred Stepanski, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2026
Chemical Engineering and Technology
Bernadeth Amano, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2025
Crystal Growth and Design
Mitra Ila, Paula Nousiainen, Donya Kamravamanesh, Tero Eerikäinen, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2025
Chemical Engineering Journal
Paula Översti, Bing Han, Jari Kavakka, Staffan Torssell, Esko Tirronen, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen, Pekka Oinas
2025
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Paula Översti, Bing Han, Jari Kavakka, Staffan Torssell, Esko Tirronen, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen, Pekka Oinas
2025
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Mitra Ila, Kim Miikki, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2024
Crystal Growth and Design
Anna Zaykovskaya
2024
Anna Zaykovskaya, Bernadeth Amano, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2024
Crystal Growth and Design
Jianxin Zhang, Rajaboopathi Mani, Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen
2024
Hydrometallurgy
More information on our research in the Aalto research portal.