Saturation Monitoring for Enhanced Crystallization Control Using Empirical Model

Controlling crystal size distribution (CSD) is crucial in the food and pharmaceutical industries to minimize waste and reduce recycling. Supersaturation (SS) governs nucleation and growth, but its nonlinear dependencies—such as concentration and temperature—make direct measurement impractical. The absence of efficient saturation monitoring contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in sugar production (1.47 kg CO₂/kg of sugar) and complicates process simulation due to the lack of a reliable thermodynamic model for saturation. This study refines the Flory-Huggins thermodynamic model to enhance sugar solubility predictions over a wide temperature range in Aspen Plus. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the model's response to changes in the binary interaction parameters. The optimized parameters offer a more accurate and efficient approach to process simulation and crystallization control, promoting sustainable food production.