Assignment 1 CL 306: Liquid-Liquid Extraction 1.

A stream of wastewater containing 2% benzoic acid is to be extracted with benzene at a rate of 2000 kg/h in order to remove 98% of the solute. If water and benzene are assumed to be mutually immiscible and the distribution coefficient is K=ww/wb = 1.707 at the given temperature (where ww and wb are the mass fractions of the solute in water and benzene phases respectively), calculate the following : (a) The minimum rate of benzene required for countercurrent separation of the mixture. (b) The number of stages required if 1.3 times the minimum solvent is used. (c) The fraction of the solute removed if the same amount of solvent is used for the separation using a four-stage countercurrent cascade. (d) The amount of solvent required if the separation of 98% is done in five-stage countercurrent unit. (e) The total amount of solvent required for the separation in a four-stage crosscurrent device if the same amount of solvent is fed to each stage. 2. Acetone is to be extracted from a feed (containing 50 % Acetone) supplied at the rate of 1000 kg/h. It was decided to use a four-stage cross-current cascade with different amounts of the solvent (TCA)----250, 300, 350 and 400 kg--- in the successive stages. Since the first stage received the fresh feed, less solvent was supplied to it. Calculate the total amount of the solute removed from the feed. The equilibrium data given in Problem above are applicable. Assume that there is no acetone in the solvent supplied. Extract arm (mass fraction) Tie-line data yC 0.60 0.50 0.40 0.30 yA 0.13 0.04 0.03 0.02 yB 0.27 0.46 0.57 0.68 xC 0.55 0.50 0.40 0.30 0.20 Raffinate arm (mass fraction) Extract Raffinate (mass fraction acetone) 0.18 0.40 0.56 0.12 0.29 0.44

xA 0.35 0.43 0.57 0.68 0.79

xB 0.10 0.07 0.03 0.02 0.01

0.20 0.015 0.785 0.10 0.01 0.89

0.10 0.895 0.005

3. Consider an N-stage cross-current extraction unit. A solution of C in the carrier liquid A (X0 kg solute per kg A) is to be treated at a rate of F kg/h. Pure solvent B is supplied to the stage at a rate Sn kg/h to the nth stage. Extract from the nth stage leaves at a concentration of Yn kg C per kg B. The equilibrium relation is linear [Yi = (Xi) = Xi]. The carrier liquid (A) and solvent (B) are virtually immiscible and the stage are ideal. If c1 (Rs per kg) is the price of the recovered solute and c2 is the processing cost (Rs per kg solvent), it is required to determine the optimum rate of solvent flow to the nth stage and the maximum profit. For the sake of simplicity, work it out for a four-stage cascade. (Note that here X and Y have meanings as defined in this particular problem and should not be confused with the meanings of these notations used to partially miscible systems.) 4. An aqueous solution of acetic acid (35% acid; 1000 kg/h) is to be extracted with pure MIBK (B) at 25C supplied at a rate of 1300 kg/h. The raffinate may contain 3% acid (C). Determine the number of ideal stages and also the minimum solvent rate required to perform the separation in a countercurrent cascade. The LLE data at 25C are given below. Raffinate (Aqueous phase) xA 0.9845 0.9545 0.858 0.757 0.678 0.550 0.429 xB 0.0155 0.017 0.025 0.038 0.06 0.122 0.225 xC 0.0 0.0285 0.117 0.205 0.262 0.328 0.346 yA 0.0212 0.028 0.054 0.092 0.145 0.220 0.310 yB 0.9788 0.9533 0.857 0.735 0.609 0.472 0.354 Extract (MIBK phase) yC 0.0 0.0187 0.089 0.173 0.246 0.308 0.336

5. Water-dioxane solutions form a minimum boiling azeotrope at atmospheric pressure and cannot be separated by ordinary distillation methods. Benzene forms no azeotrope with dioxane and can be used as an extraction solvent. At 25C, the equilibrium distribution of dioxane between water and benzene [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 66, 282 (1944) is as follows: Wt % dioxane in water Wt % dioxane in benzene 5.1 5.2 18.9 25.2 22.5 32.0

At these concentrations water and benzene are substantially insoluble, and 100 kg of a 25% dioxane 75% water solution is to be extracted with benzene to remove 95% of the dioxane. The benzene is dioxane-free. (a) Calculate the solvent requirement for a single batch operation. (b) If the extraction were done with equal amounts of solvent in five crosscurrent stages, how much solvent would be required?