Because of the mostly rigid structure of the solid phase, the formation
of solid particles is a rather slow process, and to reach an acceptable
production rate large vessels are generally needed. This rigid
structure on the other hand impedes the incorporation of foreign
substances or solvent molecules, and in only one separation step a
pure solid product is obtained.
Crystallization is often used as a generic term for evaporative or
cooling crystallization, precipitation and melt crystallization. There are,
however, considerable differences between the three types of
crystallization as far as the processing method and the corresponding
equipment are concerned. In precipitation the drop-out of the solid
phase is achieved by mixing two feed streams that are either two
reactants or a solvent containing the solute and an antisolvent. The
hydrodynamics of the process therefore play a predominant role in
precipitation with regard to the properties of the obtained product.
In melt crystallization the potential of crystallization to produce a pure
product is mainly utilized, and the solid phase is remolten to obtain the
final product. The applications are mainly in the ultrapurification of
organic compounds or to produce pure water as a concentration
technique.