Mass Transfer Design

CCB2053

Dr Sintayehu Mekuria Hailegiorgis Department of Chemical Engineering

Solid-liquid Extraction (Leaching)

CCB2053

Lesson outline
Introduction
Working principles of solid-liquid processes Mode of leaching operations and equipment for leaching solid-liquid equilibrium

Lesson outcome
At the end of the session, the students are able to:
Discuss the principles of solid-liquid processes and basic design considerations. Able to estimate the exit stream amounts and compositions of single stage solid-liquid extractor.

Recap of pervious lesson

Countercurrent Multiple-Contact Stages extraction processes
Determination of multiple stages required for a desired separation using Material balance and graphical method

CCB2053

Introduction
Solid-liquid separation/Leaching: A process that involves treatment of a finely divided solid with a liquid that dissolves out and remove a solute contained in the solid. Fluid is used to extract out a solute from a solid. Solute(s) from solid medium diffuses into the liquid (solvent) upon intimate contact with the liquid (solvent)

Application
Biological and food industries sugar from sugar beet; hot water solvent vegetable oils from nuts and seeds; organic solvents (hexane, ether) Pharmaceutical products; water/organic solvents

 Inorganic and organic materials Metal processing soluble salts Copper salts; sulphuric acids /ammoniacal solvents Gold; sodium cyanide solvent If solvent is water also called as washing

Raw material preparation for leaching processes

Solids must be prepared for extraction/leaching Grinding/crushing metals, inorganic materials Minimizing diffusion surface Cut/chop food Drying pharmaceutical, food Rolling/flaking food

Overall Process
Bulk solvent solution to solid surface Solvent diffuses into solid Solute dissolves into solvent Solute diffuses to surface Solute transferred to bulk solution

Overall Process
Key leaching processes Rate of mass transfer, specifically diffusion Dissolution rate of mass transfer from solid to solvent controls For pure solid or very rapid solid diffusion,
Kg mol of A dissolving to the solution

NA = k L (c AS c A ) A
mass transfer coefficient

6.1
Concentration Saturation solubility of solid

particles surface area

 From material balance, the rate of accumulation of A in the solution is equal to the rate of A that dissolves from the inert solid (B), thus;

VdC A = N A = Ak L (c AS c A ) dt
Integrating from t=o to t=t and from CA=CAo to CA=CA

6.2

CA

C Ao

dC A Ak L = C AS C A V

dt
t =0
Ak L t V

6.3

Solving;
C AS C A =e C AS C Ao

6.4

Mode of Leaching Operations

Batch operations Continuous stage operations steady state unsteady state

Equipment Types
Fixed bed leaching
Solvent Solute Solid Bed

Solute solution

Moving bed leaching

Bucket type

Moving bed leaching

screw conveyor

Agitated Solid leaching

Countercurrent contactor-agitator settler

(Underflow)

(Overflow)

Equilibrium Relations
To analyze single stage or multiple stage leaching processes, material balance or an operating line equation that relates the equilibrium between the two streams are needed. For equilibrium analysis, the following assumptions are made:
Solute free solids insoluble in solvent Sufficient solvent to dissolve all solute in first stage No adsorption of solute by solid Some liquid solution will be retain in the solid slurry stream

Consequently, Solute concentration at overflow equals that at underflow x-y plot has a 45o equilibrium line

 Experimental equilibrium data showing the variation of the amount and composition of the solution retained in the solid as a function of the solute composition must be obtained. equilibrium data can be plotted on the rectangular diagram as weight fraction (wt) for the three components, ie., solute (A), inert of leached solid (B) and solvent (C) The two phases are the overflow liquid phase and the underflow slurry phase. Another convenient method of plotting the equilibrium data which is similar to enthalpy-concentration method of distillation processes can be used.

 With the three basic components solute (A), inert solid (B) and solvent (C);
Let N be concentration of inert solid, B,

kg B kg solid N= = kg A + kg C kg solution
Where: N = 0 in the overflow and N = varies in the underflow

6.5

Similarly, the composition of solute A in the liquid overflow and underflow will be expressed as

In overflow

xA =

kg A kg solute = kg A + kg C kg solution

6.6

In underflow

kg A kg solute = yA = kg A + kg C kg solution

6.7

Equilibrium Diagram
When solute A is infinitely soluble in solvent C, the upper curve of N versus yA for the slurry underflow that represents the separated solid under experimental conditions is similar to the actual stage processes as shown in the Figure. the bottom layer of N verses xA , where N=0 on the axis, represents the overflow liquid composition where all the solid has been removed. In such cases the tie line are vertical, and lies on x-y diagram (45o line). The equilibrium line for the two phases coincides with the yA = xA on the 45o line. Example: in the system soybean oil (A) soybean inert solid meal (B)-hexane solvent.

Equilibrium Relations
During the leaching process :
if there is no insufficient contact time, so that all the solute is not dissolved ; adsorption of A on the solid will occur or solute soluble on B.

In such a case, the equilibrium diagram is as shown in the figure and the tie lines are not vertical.

Next lesson
Single stage leaching process Multiple stage leaching processes