Study of the reactive transfer of a bio-based acid in milli/microfluidics

Context: 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) is a molecule used in the synthesis of numerous chemicals (acids and polymers). It is a key intermediate in the production of acrylic acid and its polymer derivatives. Currently produced from petroleum, the search for a bio-based alternative is now a major challenge: according to the Department of Energy (DoE), 3-HP is one of the 10 platform molecules that urgently need to be produced from biomass. Research efforts, particularly at the SayFood joint research unit, are therefore being conducted to produce this molecule in a bioreactor and recover it using a separation process. The current separation process used to recover 3-HP is a membrane contactor. The objective of this internship is to lay the scientific foundations for an alternative to this technology: an intensified continuous process at milli/microfluidic scale.

Main goals of the Master 2 internship:

• To study, using a rigorous experimental approach, and quantify by HPLC, the kinetics of 3-HP acid extraction in a two-phase medium (acid/liquid membrane) for different milli-microfluidic capillary geometries; 
• To use image processing (MATLAB/Python) and a high-speed camera to observe the shape of the droplets and quantify their geometric properties as a function of operating conditions (particularly in terms of interfacial area);
• To propose a reactive extraction model (eventually dimensionless) that takes into account the quantified phenomena.

Location: Joint Research Unit SayFood, campus Agro Paris-Saclay, Palaiseau (91120), FRANCE.

 Duration: 6 months starting in March 2026 (subject to adjustment depending on the candidate);

Remuneration: In accordance with current legislation (approximately €650/month depending on the number of days worked);

 Secularism: The person recruited will be subject to the charter of secularism in public services (law 2021-1109 of August 24, 2021). In particular, no religious symbols may be worn in the workplace.

Contacts:

Kevin LACHIN (kevin.lachin@agroparistech.fr) ; Murielle HAYERT (murielle.hayert@agroparistech.fr) ;Ana-Karen SANCHEZ (ana-karen.sanchez-castaneda@inrae.fr).

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