Choline Salt Hydration Control via Silica Mediator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Choline salts are inherently hygroscopic, leading to water absorption, agglomeration, and reduced flowability, which poses significant processing challenges in manufacturing, and existing solutions either dilute the choline or introduce undesirable components.
Innovation Solution
Formulating choline salt compositions with greater than 90 wt% choline salt, combined with sugar alcohols or hexitol sugar derivatives, and optionally phosphate salts, to maintain flowability and compatibility in manufacturing processes, while minimizing water content and avoiding harmful additives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If choline salt is used as is, then high choline content is achieved, but flowability deteriorates due to water absorption and agglomeration
Solution Approach 1:
Silica acts as an intermediary substance that absorbs excess moisture and prevents direct water absorption by choline salt particles. The silica particles form a protective barrier around choline particles, maintaining flowability while preserving high choline content (up to 85 wt%).
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite material system combining choline salt with silica and optional vegetable oils. This composite formulation synergistically addresses the hygroscopic nature of choline while maintaining high active ingredient content and improving processability through manufacturing equipment.
2Ease of operation
If additives such as clay and silica are added to improve flowability, then processing issues are reduced, but choline content is significantly diluted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the concentration parameters of additives, specifically limiting silica to 1-10 wt% and vegetable oils to 1-20 wt%, thereby maintaining high choline content (70-85 wt%) while achieving sufficient flowability improvement. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between additive quantity and choline concentration.
3Stability of the object's composition
If choline salt absorbs water, then hydration occurs, but agglomerates and hard blocks form which are difficult to process
Solution Approach 1:
Silica is added preliminarily to the choline salt mixture to create a moisture barrier before water absorption can occur. This preliminary protective action prevents the formation of hydrated agglomerates and hard blocks, maintaining processability throughout storage and handling.
4Ease of operation
If microencapsulation or blending with various salts is used, then flowability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and processing conflicts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies a simple blending approach where silica and optional vegetable oils are uniformly distributed throughout the choline salt matrix. This local distribution of functional additives improves flowability without requiring complex microencapsulation processes or multiple processing steps.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compositions maintain high choline content, prevent agglomeration, and ensure good flowability, reducing processing risks and maintaining stability over time, making them suitable for downstream applications without introducing harmful components.
Implementation Method 1
Choline salts are inherently hygroscopic. They absorb water from the air and within a short time, e.g., a few hours, can form agglomerates or hard blocks
Implementation Method 2
They absorb water from the air and within a short time, e.g., a few hours, can form agglomerates or hard blocks which are difficult to process using manufacturing equipment
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to choline salt compositions, and methods of preparing the same, containing choline salts, sugar alcohols, alginates, phosphate salts, or combinations thereof. The compositions are free flowing and compatible in various manufacturing processes.