A study on empirical and mechanistic approaches for modelling cane sugar crystallization

A study of kinetic modelling for cane sugar batch crystallization is presented. The study is based on two approaches to describe the nucleation (homogeneous primary and secondary) and growth kinetics, and the birth and death rates of crystals: a) empirical models with equations of type power law (TPL) and b) mechanistic approach with thermodynamic equations. Both approaches describe the phenomena of crystallization at the microscopic level (by solving population balance equation by method of lines) and were validated using experimental data from pilot-scale plant. From the results of both approaches and experimental validation, we conclude that mechanistic approach best represents the dynamic behavior of cane sugar batch crystallization under different operational conditions than the empirical approach (TPL).

Keywords: crystallization, modelling, kinetics, mechanistic and empirical approaches.