High-throughput premix membrane emulsification using nickel sieves having straight-through pores

We report on the use of nickel sieves, having a uniform pore size (typically 10 mu m x 300 mu m), for (oil-in-water) premix emulsification at relatively low transmembrane pressures. The droplet break-up was found to be based on elongation and recompression of droplets typical of high-pressure homogenization. The dependence on the transmembrane pressure indicated at least partial turbulent conditions. In line with this, the transmembrane fluxes were very high, while a reasonable span (around 1) of the droplet size was found. There was no indication of fouling in the process, even after 5 passes, which indicates that the process is tolerant to product and conditions. A master curve was found for the Weber number as function of the transmembrane pressure normalized on the Laplace pressure of the emulsion before emulsification, which is helpful in further scale-up of this process. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.