| dc.description.abstract | Spherical agglomeration is a breakthrough in powder technology that offers numerous advantages, including the shortening of processing steps and improvement in compressibility, packability, and flowability of products. Although the potential of saving energy by spherical agglomeration is crucial in the context of energy conservation and carbon reduction, it has been underexplored. In this study, we focused on the system of benzoic acid, and compared the effects of spherical crystallization and conventional recrystallization on its filtration and drying process. The influence of process parameters on drying behavior would also be considered by us. In the first part, fine benzoic acid crystals and spherical agglomerates were prepared separately by recrystallization and spherical agglomeration, respectively. Vacuum filtration was performed to measure the passing time of washing water and pressure drop across the filter cake, the results demonstrated more than three times improvement in filtration efficiency for the spherical agglomerates. Subsequently, drying experiments were conducted in a drying oven, recording the weight loss of the wet cake versus time. We found that spherical agglomeration not only reduced the initial moisture content and shortened drying time but also enhanced the overall drying rate, with distinct drying curves and internal mechanisms compared to the ones of recrystallization. Notably, the spherical agglomeration of benzoic acid resulted in 70% in energy savings during drying. In the second part, the effects of different operation parameters conditions on the drying behavior of spherical agglomerates were investigated individually. The study involved examining the necessity of washing operation, varying the volume and type of bridging liquid, the amount of dried sample, and controlling the oven temperature. The results revealed that washing operation and changes in bridging liquid volume had minimal impact on the drying behavior of benzoic acid round granules, while the choice of bridging liquid type and the weight of material had shown more significant differences in drying behavior. The varying of drying temperatures influenced both the drying behavior and total energy consumption. Those experimental attempts have provided valuable insights for further scale-up processes. | en_US |