The continuous crystallization approach provides the opportunity to intensify production and improve the quality of crystals manufacturing. This study examined the effect of impurities on lactose crystallization in the continuous mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer. Two impurities usually present in acid whey, protein and lactic acid, were examined. The continuous process was evaluated based on the time required to reach a steady state operation, particle size distribution (PSD), purity, and yield. Impurities increased the time for the continuous system to achieve a steady state condition. This effect was more pronounced in the presence of protein (> 13 residence time). In the acidic environment, lactose crystals tended to promote caking and agglomeration during the filtration process, resulting in the formation of larger crystals and a wider PSD. The protein incorporation in the continuous process was 1.5 times higher than in the batch process due to the inefficiency of the filtration stage caused by the aggregated denatured protein particles, which entrapped the mother liquor between the void area of the agglomerated crystals. Understanding impurity effects on lactose crystals in continuous crystallization can be used as a fundamental study to intensify the process and improve the quality of the crystals.

连续结晶方法为强化生产和提高晶体制造质量提供了机会。本研究检查了杂质对连续混合悬浮混合产品去除 (MSMPR) 结晶器中乳糖结晶的影响。检测了酸乳清中通常存在的两种杂质，即蛋白质和乳酸。根据达到稳态操作所需的时间、粒度分布 (PSD)、纯度和产率对连续工艺进行评估。杂质增加了连续系统达到稳态条件的时间。这种效果在蛋白质存在时更为明显（> 13 停留时间）。在酸性环境下，乳糖晶体在过滤过程中容易促进结块和团聚，导致形成更大的晶体和更宽的 PSD。由于聚集的变性蛋白质颗粒导致母液滞留在聚集晶体的空隙区域之间，导致过滤阶段效率低下，因此连续工艺中的蛋白质掺入量是分批工艺中的 1.5 倍。了解杂质对连续结晶中乳糖晶体的影响可作为基础研究，以加强过程并提高晶体质量。