ENSSLED - Engineering Nanoparticles' Surface for Sustainable Descaling

碳酸钙（CaCO3）在管道和流动系统中的结垢是一个长期存在的棘手问题，影响着许多关键行业。目前的除鳞方法包括劳动密集型的人工刮除鳞片，或使用专门的化学物质溶解鳞片或阻止鳞片形成。不幸的是，这些方法会产生成本和时间，并不是普遍适用于所有类型的流体配置，并且还会引起环境问题。相反，ENSSLED采用了另一种方法，即使用纳米颗粒在其自身而不是管壁上成核。这些牺牲核剂（SN）在结垢后可以从流体中去除。但在实践中，由于它们在结垢过程中获得的随机和无序形状（菱形晶体或RC），它们经常粘在管壁上。相反，ENSSLED建议研究球形SN的使用，该SN由一种称为壳聚糖的生物基环保材料合成。由于其氨基表面特性，壳聚糖可以诱导膜状矿物生长（通过称为生物矿化的仿生过程）。enssled应用这些原理以薄膜的形式来控制SN周围的缩放，而不是无序RC。通过在结垢过程中保持SN的球形，可以最大限度地减少SN与管壁的粘附，从而阻止管壁上的结垢，并使SN在结垢后完全恢复。这种独特的仿生策略可以为被动除垢提供工业上可接受的可持续方法。ENSSLED计划通过涉及SN合成、壳聚糖（生物聚合物）加工、结垢分析和基于接触力学的粘附测量（SN与管壁之间）的多学科方法来实现这些目标。

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) scaling of pipeline and flow systems is a long-standing and intractable problem, affecting many criticalindustries. Current descaling approaches involve labour-intensive manual scraping of scales, or the use of specialized chemicals todissolve the scales or to stop them from forming. Unfortunately, these approaches incur cost and time, are not universally applicableto all kinds of flow configurations and have otherwise raised environmental concerns as well. ENSSLED builds instead on analternative approach of using nanoparticles that can nucleate scales on themselves, rather than on the pipe walls. These sacrificialnucleants (SN) after scaling can be removed from the flow stream. But in practice, they often stick to the pipe walls due to theirrandom and disordered shapes (rhombohedral crystals or RC) attained during scaling. Conversely, ENSSLED proposes to investigatethe use of spherically shaped SN, synthesized from a bio-based environmentally friendly material called chitosan. Owing to its aminerichsurface property, chitosan can induce film-wise mineral growth (by a biomimetic process called biomineralization). ENSSLEDapplies these principles to control scaling around the SN in the form of films rather than disordered RC. By retaining the sphericalshape of the SN during scaling, the adhesion of the SN with that of the pipe walls could be minimized, thereby deterring scaleformation on the pipe walls and enabling complete recovery of the SN afterwards. This distinctive biomimetic strategy could offer anindustrially acceptable and sustainable approach toward passive descaling. ENSSLED plans to achieve these goals through amultidisciplinary approach involving SN synthesis, chitosan (biopolymer) processing, scaling analysis, and contact mechanics-basedadhesion measurements (between SN and the pipe walls).