Chemical Engineering Program

Faculty of Engineering
Separation Process and NT

Homework 2. Absorption and Liquid-Liquid extraction

This assignment has the objective to evaluate the following ABET student’s outcomes:

Outcome Level Description

an ability to identify, formulate, and
solve complex engineering problems
by applying principles of engineering,
science, and mathematics
an ability to apply engineering design
to produce solutions that meet
specified needs with consideration of
public health, safety, and welfare, as
well as global, cultural, social,
environmental, and economic factors
an ability to develop and conduct
appropriate experimentation, analyze
and interpret data, and use
engineering judgment to draw
conclusions
an ability to communicate effectively in
a second language with oral and
writing proficiency
The student solves and produce solutions to
complex separation process problems by applying
Emphasis
principles of thermodynamics and engineering
tools.
Emphasis
The student designs and refines solutions to
recover and purify compounds coming from
chemical processes and considering safety,
environmental, and economic factors.
Emphasis The student develops and conducts appropriate
experimentation, analyzes and interpret data, and
uses engineering judgment to draw conclusions, in
order to recover and purify compounds coming
from chemical processes.
Emphasis
The student documents separation process
designs through technical English-written reports.

Designing a process to produce thermal energy in a farm

In Colombia, most of the rural sector employs LPG as fuel to supply thermal energy. Currently, LPG
represents 40% of the energy supply mix in rural areas [1] and its lower heating value (LHV) is about
20.9 BTU/lb. About 2,000 families employ LPG to cook their food in Colombia, being 33% consumed
in rural areas1. Therefore, 660 families are using LPG to cook their food. The consumption of LPG
per capita, for heating purposes, is about 0.03 Ton equivalent of oil2. Based on the above information,
the heat consumption in a farm is about 0.57 GJ/h and the LHV of biomethane (100 mol% CH 4) is
about 0.052 GJ/kg.

However, the use of this fuel has different drawbacks such as cost, transport, and CO 2 emissions.
The use of other alternatives must be explored to deliver thermal energy by reducing the purchase
cost, transport issues, and CO2 emissions. In small farms, livestock wastes usually present problems
of environmental impact associated with bad odors, greenhouse gas emissions, water, and soil
pollution.

Therefore, the biological conversion of livestock wastes into biogas has become an alternative to
supply thermal energy in farms. The biogas is mainly composed by CH4 (69.3 vol%), CO2 (30.6 vol%),
H2S (1019 ppm), and NH3 (81 ppm). To use biogas as thermal source is important to up-grade it into
biomethane (99 vol%). The higher the biomethane purity, the larger the lower heating value (LHV).

1 Information taken from: http://www.gasnova.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/INFORME-DEL-SECTOR-DEL-

GLP-2019.pdf. Date: 13-03-2020.
2 Information taken from: https://colaboracion.dnp.gov.co/CDT/Conpes/Econ%C3%B3micos/2571.pdf. Date:

13-03-2020.
 Chemical Engineering Program
Faculty of Engineering
Separation Process and NT

You have been hired to build an absorption plant to produce biomethane in order to supply the energy
required in small farms, to do that you must:

1. Stablish the amount of biomethane required, according with Eq. (1), based on the LHV of
biomethane (i.e., 0.052 GJ/h), the energy required in a small farm 0.57 GJ/h (ER), and the
biomethane purity (y1)

kg
mBiomethane ( ) = ER ∗ y1 ∗ LHVCH4 Eq. (1)
h

2. Define the amount of biogas that is needed to fulfill the requirements.

3. Define the amount of solvent that is needed to clean the biogas.
4. You must size the complete plant (i.e., absorption + stripping). Sizing must include diameter,
height, tray or packing, and cost.

Converting biomass into biogas produces a ratio between biogas and wastes (VN+1/wastes) close to
0.1091 kg biogas/kg waste. Biogas is the total input stream to the absorption tower (VN+1). The solid
wastes leach, producing a pollutant liquid phase with a ratio between the leachate and the waste of
to 3.1852 kg leachate/kg waste.

Therefore, the leachate obtained after anaerobic digestion is biological treated to obtain a liquid
mixture mainly formed by water and acetic acid. This stream must not be released due to the high
content of acetic acid (10 vol%). Therefore, this stream must be treated by liquid-liquid extraction to
remove almost all the acetic acid. Design a Liquid-Liquid extraction method to clean water. To do
that:

1. Stablish the amount of leachate to treat based on the given information.

2. Select a proper solvent to remove acetic acid.
3. Size the equipment.

Present a word document of maximum 4 pages. The word document must include:
a. Name of the students and group number.
b. Introduction about the sustainable process to produce acetone from ethanol. Include
green engineering principles and Sustainable Development Goals analysis in this
section.
c. Results and a brief discussion of the distillation process you are designing (use
figures, avoid tables as much as possible).
d. Conclusions.
e. References: APA style.

5. Present a .zip file which includes: the Word document, Excel files, and all the ASPEN files.
The zip file must be named by your group name. Also, you must attach the McCabe-Thiele
Diagrams to the .zip file in Excel.
 Chemical Engineering Program
Faculty of Engineering
Separation Process and NT

At the end of the document, the team must detail the level of commitment of each of the teammates,
using the following table. This table must have enough information to give insights about your
teamwork.

Rule (put each rule you Comment about the level of Comment about the level of Comment about the level of
defined for the team) commitment and fulfillment commitment and fulfillment commitment and fulfillment
of the Student 1 of the Student 2 of the Student 3

Goal of the team:

The homework is going to be graded according to the rubric below:

 Chemical Engineering Program
Faculty of Engineering
Separation Process and NT

NOVATO APRENDIZ BUENO EXPERTO

% COMPETENCIA RPA TEMA INDICADOR INSTRUMENTO
20% 50% 80% 100%
Produce solutions to
An ability to identify, Produce solutions Calculate some Propose solutions to complex separation
Produce solutions to
formulate, and solve to complex Solve some mass and energy complex separation process by
complex separation
complex engineering separation balances balances relevant process by calculating
process by applying
10% problems by applying process by related to in the solutions to calculating partially completely and
principles of
principles of calculating mass separation complex the mass an energy perfectly all the mass
thermodynamics and
engineering, science, and energy process. separation balances required to an energy balances
engineering tools.
and mathematics balances. process. develop the design. required to develop
the design.
2% 5% 8% 10%
Refine separation
An ability to apply
processes through the
engineering design Sketch completely
application of
to produce solutions Sketch partially the and perfectly the
thermodynamic laws Sketch the basic
that meet specified diagram of the diagram of the
and engineering tools Sketch the Identify some diagram of the
Absorption and Extraction

needs with complex separation separation process,

for the recovering and diagram of the variables of the separation
consideration of process, including, at including, among
10% purification of separation separation process,
public health, safety, least, all the others, all the

Homework 2
compounds coming process, including process in a including some
and welfare, as well variables, flows, variables, flows,
from chemical all the variables diagram. important
as global, cultural, values, and proper values, internal
processes and variables.
social, units. sections and proper
considering safety,
environmental, and units.
global, environmental,
economic factors
and economic factors.
2% 5% 8% 10%
Refine separation
An ability to apply
processes through the Refine solutions to Size partial
engineering design
application of recover and purify solutions to Size solutions to
to produce solutions Refine perfect
thermodynamic laws compounds recover and recover and purify
that meet specified solutions to recover
and engineering tools coming from Identify some purify compounds coming
needs with and purify
for the recovering and chemical design compounds from chemical
consideration of compounds coming
20% purification of processes, variables of coming from processes, using
public health, safety, from chemical
compounds coming through the separation chemical manual and graphical
and welfare, as well processes, using
from chemical application of processes. processes, using calculations, which
as global, cultural, manual and graphical
processes and thermodynamic manual and partially meet the
social, calculations.
considering safety, laws and graphical requirements.
environmental, and
global, environmental, engineering tools. calculations.
economic factors
and economic factors.
4% 10% 16% 20%
 Chemical Engineering Program
Faculty of Engineering
Separation Process and NT

Size some Size separation

Refine separation Refine perfect
An ability to apply Refine separation equipment for the processes through
processes through the separation processes
engineering design processes through recovering and the application of
application of through the
to produce solutions the application of Introduce some purification of thermodynamic laws
thermodynamic laws application of
that meet specified thermodynamic design compounds and engineering tools
and engineering tools thermodynamic laws
needs with laws and variables of coming from for the recovering and
for the recovering and and engineering tools
consideration of engineering tools separation chemical purification of
20% purification of for the recovering and
public health, safety, for the recovering processes into processes, using compounds coming
compounds coming purification of
and welfare, as well and purification of a commercial commercial from chemical
from chemical compounds coming
as global, cultural, compounds software such software such as processes, using
processes and from chemical
social, coming from as Aspen plus. Aspen plus, commercial software
considering safety, processes, using
environmental, and chemical which do not such as Aspen plus,
global, environmental, commercial software
economic factors processes. meet the which partially meet
and economic factors. such as Aspen plus.
requirements. the requirements.
4% 10% 16% 20%
Propose
Refine separation Refine separation
An ability to apply Present separation Modell separation
processes through the processes for the
engineering design separation processes for the processes for the Refine perfect
application of recovering and
to produce solutions processes for recovering and recovering and separation processes
thermodynamic laws purification of
that meet specified the recovering purification of purification of for the recovering and
and engineering tools compounds
needs with and purification compounds compounds coming purification of
for the recovering and coming from
consideration of of compounds coming from from chemical compounds coming
15% purification of chemical
public health, safety, coming from chemical processes, from chemical
compounds coming processes,
and welfare, as well chemical processes, considering two of the processes,
from chemical considering
as global, cultural, processes, considering one following factors: considering safety,
processes and safety,
social, having the of the following safety, environmental, and
considering safety, environmental,
environmental, and purity as only factors: safety, environmental, and economic factors.
environmental, and and economic
economic factors criterium. environmental, economic.
economic factors. factors.
and economic.
3% 8% 12% 15%
Document Document clearly,
effectively completely and nicely
Write partially-
separation separation processes
Document effectively well English- Write perfectly
processes design Write partially- design via English-
separation processes written English-written
An ability to via English-written well English- written technical
design via English- technical technical reports
communicate technical reports written technical reports which give
written technical reports reports which which present
effectively in a which give reports which succinct, but
15% which give succinct, but present processes design
second language succinct, but present complete information
complete information of processes with complete
with oral and writing complete processes design of variables, costs,
variables, costs, design with variables. Also
proficiency information of with complete implications and
implications and incomplete includes a proper
variables, costs, variables. viability of the
viability of the designs. design section of reference.
implications and designs. Also
variables.
viability of the includes a proper
designs. section of reference.
3% 8% 12% 15%
 Chemical Engineering Program
Faculty of Engineering
Separation Process and NT

Evaluate the
suitability of the
An ability to develop Present the
results obtained Evaluate the
and conduct Evaluate the suitability results obtained Conclude about the
by suitability of the
appropriate of the results obtained Present some by results obtained by
experimentation results obtained by
experimentation, by experimentation and results obtained experimentation experimentation and
and calculation, experimentation and
10% analyze and interpret calculation, by using by and calculation, calculation, by using
by using calculation, by using
data, and use engineering judgment experimentation by using engineering judgment
engineering engineering judgment
engineering and separation process and calculation. separation and separation
judgment and and separation
judgment to draw knowledge. process process knowledge.
separation process knowledge.
conclusions knowledge.
process
knowledge.
2% 5% 8% 10%

References

[1] Garfi, M.; Castro, L.; Montero, N.; Escalante, H.; Ferrer, I. (2019) Evaluating Environmental benefits of low-cost biogas
digesters in small-scale farms in Colombia: A life cycle assessment. Bioresource Technology. 541-548.