Design and development of rotating membrane emulsification for production of particle-stabilised emulsions

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Arkoumanis, Panagiotis Gerasimos (2020). Design and development of rotating membrane emulsification for production of particle-stabilised emulsions. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Emulsions and emulsion-based systems constitute a great proportion of many consumer products; from milk, spreads and sauces to hand creams and paints. Current emulsification methods such as high shear mixing, colloid milling or high-pressure homogenisation are based on the dissipation of high amounts of energy to randomly disrupt emulsion droplets resulting in an emulsion product with a non-uniform microstructure that could be subject to destabilisation. Membrane emulsification has emerged as a promising, low-energy technique to manufacture emulsion droplets one at a time in a controlled manner. This is possible by introducing the dispersed phase through the pores of a membrane in the continuous phase and adjusting the transmembrane pressure and shear close to the membrane surface. Despite the positive performance of membrane emulsification on the stabilisation of conventional emulsions with emulsifiers, fabrication of stable Pickering (i.e. colloidal particle-stabilised) emulsions through this technique is restricted by the poor mixing environment in the continuous phase and the limited diffusivity and interfacial tension lowering capacity of the colloidal species.
This thesis advances the knowledge on the droplet formation mechanisms and the process limitations encountered during the production of Pickering emulsions via a rotating membrane emulsification set-up, and linking these with the stability of the subsequent emulsions produced. Extending this knowledge, particles that demonstrate poor Pickering performance are combined with a surfactant (Tween 20) or dairy protein (WPI) to exploit their synergism towards effective particle-stabilisation of emulsions. Apart from membrane rotational velocity and transmembrane pressure, the membrane properties (material and pore size/ porosity) are expected to have a profound effect on operational attributes; thus oil
throughput and energy consumption have been studied to assess the overall performance of rotating membrane emulsification towards manufacturing of stable ‘Pickering’ type emulsions.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):