POSTDOC : Contribution of numerical simulation to the development of the pervaporation process for solvent separation and associated crystallization: case of the production of a pharmaceutical active ingredient

Supervisors :                      Mathias MONNOT : mathias.monnot@univ-amu.fr

                                           Emilie CARRETIER : emilie.carretier@univ-amu.fr

Subject description :

Crystallization is one of the major operations in industrial processes to produce, purify, or separate solid compounds or products. Regardless of the process, fine control of matter transfer and/or heat processes, i.e., supersaturation, is crucial to achieve the desired physical quality objectives of the product.

The MEMCRYST project (ANR funding), started in 2022, aims to study a revolutionary concept of continuous crystallization through membranes. It is an innovative technology made possible by the enhanced performance of membranes, which could give the French industry a competitive edge. The project consortium is coordinated by Élodie Chabanon of the LAGEPP in Villeurbanne (Laboratory of Automatic Process and Pharmaceutical Engineering) and relies on two public research units and an industrial partner. LAGEPP develops the aspects of membrane process crystallization. M2P2 (Mechanics, Modeling, and Clean Processes - Aix Marseille University) develops the hydrodynamic aspects, numerical simulation, intensification of membrane processes. To anticipate and test scale-up, a French pharmaceutical manufacturer is also a partner in the project.

Position description :

As part of this ANR-funded project, the postdoctoral fellow will be based at M2P2 in Aix-en-Provence under the direction of Dr. Mathias Monnot (lecturer-researcher at M2P2). He/She will also be surrounded by other project members, academic and industrial experts in the fields of crystallization and membrane processes. The objective is to continue the development of the simulation code on StarCCM+ for the flow and performance of the pervaporation process (material and heat transfer) that uses a dense membrane. Experiments carried out by LAGEPP will feed and consolidate the code for CFD-population balance coupling. Calculating concentration profiles to predict crystal localization in the membrane module will be crucial. Access to the AMU mesocenter will be available to shorten computation times. The numerical simulation of the pervaporation process will be done in four steps: (i) prediction of hydrodynamics in membranes, (ii) consideration of solvent separation, (iii) study of hydrodynamic changes with crystal (solid) generation, and (iv) predictions of process performances. The first three steps are to be finalized according to experimental data obtained.

Working conditions :

Funding: ANR PRCE project

Contract: 12-month renewable postdoctoral contract (net salary: about €2,100 per month)

Proposed start date: as soon as possible

Work location: M2P2 Membrane Processes team at the Technopôle de l’Environnement Arbois, Louis Philibert avenue in Aix-en-Provence. Some professional travel to be expected (1/trimester)

If interested, send CV and cover letter in the same email to mathias.monnot@univ-amu.fr and emilie.carretier@univ-amu.fr