An examination into the effect of stirrer material and agitation rate on the nucleation of L-glutamic acid batch crystallized from supersaturated aqueous solutions

The influence of stirrer material and agitation rate on the nucleation of batch crystallized L-glutamic acid from supersaturated aqueous solutions using temperature programmed cooling is investigated. Results obtained at the 450 mL scale size using a retreat curve impeller together with a single baffle reveal that stirrer material type and its surface morphology are important in the primary nucleation process having a significant influence on the nucleation order, as assessed via optical turbidity method, and being consistent with a surface-induced heterogeneous nucleation mechanism.