ON SIMULATION OF SOFT MATTER AND FLOW INTERACTIONS IN BIOMASS PROCESSING APPLICATIONS

In this research, we extend our studies of the extraction process from diverse plant materials, introducing advancements to our previous models. Our framework considers dynamic elements by taking into account the motion of the particles, departing from the statical particle assumption in prior articles. Several methods such as moving geometries or modified equations for a system with moving particles in Lagrangian coordinates are introduced to boost the precision of our simulations, taking into account the complex dynamics of the solvent and its interaction with the plant material. Expanding beyond our focus on supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), our research is addressing some different applications. Besides the traditional solvent-based extractions, we consider potential applications in filtration, wood industry processes, etc. This allows our model to adapt to diverse industrial contexts with varied extraction mediums. Our coupled system of equations contains fluid dynamics equations for solvent flow, reaction-advection-diffusion equations for solute, and equations governing remaining solute concentration in biomass. The exchange of active material between solid and fluid is modelled by the Langmuir law. Applying finite volume techniques and implemented in the Octave/Matlab environment, our model captures the temporal evolution of two and three dimensional solute distribution and solvent velocity field. This modular framework facilitates the integration of tailor-made laws to represent diverse plant materials, ensuring versatility across applications. Through our simulations, we present the analysis of our modified model's performance and discuss its advantages and limitations. This research is a slight step forward in understanding and optimising extraction processes, offering valuable insights for industries involved in functional foods, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, filtration, and wood processing.