MATERIAL BALANCES WITH

CHEMICAL REACTION

General Material Balance Equation

A balance on a material in a process system

may be written as:
Input + generation - output - consumption =
accumulation

The equation may be written for any material

that enters or leaves any process system
It can be applied to the total mass or total
moles of this material or to any atomic species
involved in the process

if there is no reaction,
Input
=output

The generation and consumption terms

are applied only when chemical reaction
is involved
It should be noted that in chemical
reactions, the total mass of the input
remains constant, but the total moles may
or may not remain constant.

N2+3H2 2NH3

1 mole of N2 3 mole of H2 2 mole of

NH3
It is very convenient to use basis of
calculations in molar units

For any reactant material the balance of

material can be written as
Material entering= material reacted
+material un reacted

For products we can write

Material leaving = material produced by the
reaction.

Fundamental concepts

Stoichiometry
It is a theory of the proportions in which chemical

species combine with one another.

Stoichiometric equations:
Stoichiometric equation of a chemical reaction is a
statement indicating relative moles of reactant and
products that take part in the reaction

Stoichiometric co-efficient:
It is the number that precedes the formula of each

component involved in a chemical reaction

Refers to quantities of reactants and

products in a balanced chemical reaction.
aA + bB cC + dD
i.e. a moles of A react with b moles of B to
give c moles of C and d moles of D.
a,b,c,d are stoichiometric quantities

Limiting reactant / component:

In practice a reactant may be used in excess of
the stoichiometric quantity for various reasons.
In this case the other reactant is limiting i.e. it will
limit the yield of product.
Limiting Reactant:
It is the reactant that would disappear first if a
reaction goes to completion
Limiting reactant is the reactant which is present
in such proportions that its consumption will
limit the extent to which the reaction can
proceed

Excess Reactant:
Excess reactant is the reactant which is
taken more than the requirement to
combine with other reactant as per the
Stoichiometry.
It is the reactant which will be present in
the product even if the reaction goes to
completion

Definitions to solve material

balances.
Percentage excess:
Consider a reaction A + B C
Where B is the excess reactant, then

CONVERSION:
Conversion or fractional conversion or
degree of completion is defined with
respect to limiting reactant
It gives idea regarding degree of
completion of reaction

Consider a chemical reaction

A + B C
Where A = a limiting reactant
B = the excess reactant

YIELD:

Extent of reaction()

Also called reaction coordinates

Measures progress of reaction.
If ni = moles of i species taking part in reaction
vi = stoichiometric number of species I

vi -ve for reactant , +ve for

product

Zi = fractional conversion of species I

Usually limiting reactant.

Combustion of solids liquids and

gaseous fuels.
Orsat analysis
Flue gas analysis on dry basis.
Measures CO2 CO and O2 in a given flue
gas.

Air

Fuel

gas
C
O
S
H

Flue gas

liquid solid
C
O
H

C
O
S
H
N
H2 O

N
Ash

CO

O2

CO2
O2

SO2

SO3
N2
H2O

N2
H2O
Ash
C,N,H,S,O

Refuse

How to solve material balance?

The total mass of the fuel burned and flue
gas produced : carbon balance
The refuse formed : ash balance(inert)
The amount of air supplied : nitrogen

balance.

The amount of hydrogen in fuel: oxygen

balance

Proximate analysis of coal

Empirical procedure
List the composition in terms of

Moisture: loss in weight when coal is heated at

1050C
Volatile combustible matter: loss in weight when
coal is heated at 9500C in crucible for 7
minutes minus weight of moisture
Ash: The weight of residue after complete
combustion (700-7500C)
Fixed carbon: calculated as 100 minus sum of all the
above.
If sulphur is present which is also reported as
percentage

Ultimate analysis of coal

Gives the percentage by weight of the
various elements and ash in the coal
sample.
Provides data for material balance
combustion of fuel.