Reactive Spray Drying
Single-step liquid-to-solid synthesis
Conventional material processing often relies on time- and energy-intensive multi-step procedures, such as liquid evaporation followed by separate high-temperature calcination. At InVerTec, we engineer custom reactive spray drying systems that combine the atomization of liquid feeds, solvent evaporation, and thermal-chemical transformations into a single, continuous step.
As your collaborative engineering partner, we design scalable reactor systems that transform solutions, suspensions, and emulsions into precisely engineered solid products, composite materials, and functionalized particles tailored to your specific industrial applications.
Key capabilities
- Single-step liquid-to-solid synthesis and in-flight chemical reactions
- High-temperature operation up to 600 °C under controlled or oxygen-free atmospheres
- Rapid precipitation and nanoparticle embedding in continuous matrices
- Precision droplet atomization via specialized two-phase nozzles
- Integrated thermal quenching and downstream separation (hot filters, cyclones, gas washers)
- Scalable pilot-plant engineering and custom process development
Technical Focus
- Single-Step Liquid-to-Solid Synthesis: Continuous processes that integrate the atomization of liquid precursors with simultaneous in-flight chemical reactions, significantly reducing overall process time and energy consumption.
- Atmosphere & Thermal Control: Custom-engineered reactor zones capable of operating at elevated temperatures (e.g., up to 600 °C) under highly controlled, oxygen-free, or specific reactive gas environments.
- Advanced Material Engineering: Ideal for inducing the rapid precipitation and reaction of dissolved chemical species, as well as creating complex composite structures by embedding sensitive nanoparticles within continuous matrices.
- Holistic Process Integration: Complete system design including specialized two-phase nozzles for precise droplet formation, customized pumping systems, rapid thermal quenching systems, and high-efficiency downstream separation utilizing hot filters, cyclones, and cooled gas washers.
Application Highlight: High-Energy Battery Materials (COATEMO II)
A prime example of our process engineering is our participation in the COATEMO II project, which focuses on developing fast-charging, high-energy anode materials for electromobility. While state-of-the-art graphite anodes are limited to a capacity of around 350 mAh/g, silicon offers a theoretical capacity of approximately 4,000 mAh/g, possessing the potential to drastically increase electric vehicle range. However, silicon suffers from massive volume expansion during the charge and discharge cycles, which typically leads to the mechanical destruction of the battery.
To overcome this limitation, InVerTec engineered an innovative, pilot-scale manufacturing process utilizing our reactive spray drying technology. By continuously feeding a customized water-based dispersion through a two-phase nozzle into a hot reaction zone, we successfully encapsulate silicon nanoparticles within a highly flexible reduced graphene oxide (rGO) matrix in a single step. This tailored carbon shell accommodates the silicon’s expansion without fracturing, delivering a stable, high-capacity composite material ready for next-generation energy storage.
