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Main Authors: Garba, Muhammad, Nwachukwu, Alwell, Ali, Jamel, Siegrist, Theo, Humayun, Munir, Mohammadigoushki, Hadi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.27438
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author Garba, Muhammad
Nwachukwu, Alwell
Ali, Jamel
Siegrist, Theo
Humayun, Munir
Mohammadigoushki, Hadi
author_facet Garba, Muhammad
Nwachukwu, Alwell
Ali, Jamel
Siegrist, Theo
Humayun, Munir
Mohammadigoushki, Hadi
contents We present a numerical investigation of the magnetophoresis of metal ions in porous media under static, nonuniform magnetic fields. The multiphysics simulations couple momentum transport, mass diffusion, and magnetic field equations, with the porous medium modeled using two distinct approaches: a Stokes-based formulation incorporating effective diffusivity, and a Brinkman-based formulation that explicitly accounts for permeability and medium-induced drag. Comparison with recent experimental data [Nwachuwku et al. Submitted, 2025] reveals that the Stokes model partially fails to capture key trends, while the Brinkman model, with permeability accurately reproduces observed transport behavior on various porous media. Our simulations predict that both paramagnetic (MnCl2) and diamagnetic (ZnCl2) ions may form field-induced clusters under magnetic gradients over a range of concentrations of 1mM-100mM and magnetic field gradients of up to 100 T2/m. The dominant driving force is found to be the magnetic gradient (Kelvin) force, while the paramagnetic force from concentration gradients contributes minimally. In binary mixtures, hydrodynamic interactions between paramagnetic and diamagnetic clusters significantly alter transport dynamics. Specifically, paramagnetic clusters can pull diamagnetic clusters along the magnetic field gradient, enhancing diamagnetic migration and suppressing the motion of paramagnetic species. These findings highlight the importance of porous media modeling and interspecies interactions in predicting magnetophoretic transport of ionic mixtures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_27438
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Magnetically Assisted Separation of Weakly Magnetic Metal Ions in Porous Media. Part 2: Numerical Simulations
Garba, Muhammad
Nwachukwu, Alwell
Ali, Jamel
Siegrist, Theo
Humayun, Munir
Mohammadigoushki, Hadi
Chemical Physics
We present a numerical investigation of the magnetophoresis of metal ions in porous media under static, nonuniform magnetic fields. The multiphysics simulations couple momentum transport, mass diffusion, and magnetic field equations, with the porous medium modeled using two distinct approaches: a Stokes-based formulation incorporating effective diffusivity, and a Brinkman-based formulation that explicitly accounts for permeability and medium-induced drag. Comparison with recent experimental data [Nwachuwku et al. Submitted, 2025] reveals that the Stokes model partially fails to capture key trends, while the Brinkman model, with permeability accurately reproduces observed transport behavior on various porous media. Our simulations predict that both paramagnetic (MnCl2) and diamagnetic (ZnCl2) ions may form field-induced clusters under magnetic gradients over a range of concentrations of 1mM-100mM and magnetic field gradients of up to 100 T2/m. The dominant driving force is found to be the magnetic gradient (Kelvin) force, while the paramagnetic force from concentration gradients contributes minimally. In binary mixtures, hydrodynamic interactions between paramagnetic and diamagnetic clusters significantly alter transport dynamics. Specifically, paramagnetic clusters can pull diamagnetic clusters along the magnetic field gradient, enhancing diamagnetic migration and suppressing the motion of paramagnetic species. These findings highlight the importance of porous media modeling and interspecies interactions in predicting magnetophoretic transport of ionic mixtures.
title Magnetically Assisted Separation of Weakly Magnetic Metal Ions in Porous Media. Part 2: Numerical Simulations
topic Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.27438