A

TERM PAPER ASSIGNMENT

ON

MOLECULAR DISTILLATION

Submitted By:

Desai Dhyan Nilesh 17BCH010

Jay Bharatbhai Lakhani 17BCH020

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NIRMA UNIVERSITY
Distillation

Distillation is method of separation of components from a liquid mixture which depends on the
differences in boiling points of the individual components and the distributions of the
components between a liquid and gas phase in the mixture. The liquid mixture may have
different boiling point characteristics depending on the concentrations of the components present
in it. Therefore, distillation processes depend on the vapor pressure characteristics of liquid
mixtures. The vapor pressure is created by supplying heat as separating agent. In the distillation,
the new phases differ from the original by their heat content. During most of the century,
distillation was by far the most widely used method for separating liquid mixtures of chemical
components. This is a very energy intensive technique, especially when the relative volatility of
the components is low.

Types of Distillation

Some important types of distillation include:

 Differential distillation

 Fractional distillation

 Steam distillation

 Vacuum distillation

 Air-sensitive vacuum distillation

 Short path distillation

 Zone distillation
Molecular Distillation

Molecular distillation is generally accepted as the safest method to separate and purify thermally
unstable compounds and substances having low volatility with high boiling point. The process is
distinguished by the following features: short residence time in the zone of the molecular
evaporator exposed to heat; low operating temperature due to vacuum in the space of distillation;
a characteristic mechanism of mass transfer in the gap between the evaporating and condensing
surfaces. The separation principle of molecular distillation is based on the difference of
molecular mean free path. The passage of the molecules through the distillation space should be
collision free. Their mean free path, (A), is defined by the following relation, derived from the
theory of ideal gases:

where d (m) is the molecular diameter, NA (6.023 X 1023 mol -1) is Avogadro constant, P (Pa) is
pressure and T (K) is temperature. In theory, molecular distillation can also be used for
separating mixtures with close boiling point or forming azeotrope because the constituent’s
molecular diameters are frequently not identical. The constituent with small molecular diameter
should be more volatile than that with big molecular diameter. However, the motivation of
molecular distillation arises not for this purpose, but for separating heat-sensitive compounds. By
far, this technique is mostly applied in the fields of medicine and biology. Table 2 lists some
applications of molecular distillation. The reason why molecular distillation isn't used as a
special distillation process for separating the mixture with close boiling point or forming
azeotrope may be attributed

 A very limited theoretical stages, when compared with common distillation column.
 Low production scale.
 Complicated equipment and high investment cost in order to achieve high vacuum degree.
Applications of molecular distillations

 High concentration of Monoglycerides

 Fractionation of dimers of fatty-acids
 Separation of radioactive nuclides from melts of irradiated media
 Get the oils of vacuum pumps
 Compartmentalization of secretory proteins in pancreatic zymogen
 Inhibition of tumor-cell growth by low boiling point structured fatty-acids
 Cell culture supports for slam-frozen
 Preparation of dunaliella-parva for ion localization studies by X-Ray-Microanalysis
 Sample preparation for electron-microscopy using cryofixation
 Separation of lanolinic alcohols
 Molecular distillation drying of mammalian-cells
 Post embedding immunolabeling
 Lanolin purification
 Recovering biodiesel and carotenoids from palm oil
 Recovering vitamin E from vegetal oils
 Concentration of monoglycerides
 Recovery of carotenoids from palm oil
 Synthesis of pure diglicyde ether of bisphenol-A
 Fructose monocaprylate and polycaprylate purification
Equipment for molecular distillation

1) Centrifugal Molecular Distillation Still

Fig. Schematic diagram of Centrifugal Molecular Distillation Still

Principle:

In this method, liquid feed is introduced into a vessel, which is rotated at very high speed
(centrifugal action). On account of heating, vaporization occurs from a film of liquid
on the sides of the vessel. The Vapour (molecules) travels a short distance and gets condensed on
the adjacent condenser. Each molecule is condensed individually. The distillate is subsequently
collected.
Construction:

It consists of a bucket-shaped vessel having a diameter of about 1 to 1.5 m. It is rotated at high

speed using a motor. Radiant heaters are provided externally to heat the fluid in the bucket.
Condensers are arranged very close to the evaporating surface. Vacuum pump is connected to the
entire vessel at the top. Provisions are made for introducing the feed into the center of the bucket,
for receiving the product and residue for re-circulation.

Working:

Vacuum is applied at the center of the vessel. The bucket shaped vessel is allowed to rotate at
high speed. The feed is introduced from the center of the vessel. Due to centrifugal action of the
rotating bucket, liquid moves outward over the surface of the vessel and forms a film. Since, the
radiant heaters heat the surface, the liquid evaporates directly from the film. The vapour
(molecules) travels its mean tree path and strikes the condenser. The condensate is collected into
another vessel. The residue is collected from the bottom of the vessel and is recirculated through
the feed port for further distillation.
 2) Wiped film molecular distillation

Fig. Schematic diagram of Wiped film molecular distillation

Construction:

The vessel has a diameter of 1 m. The walls of the vessel are provided with suitable means of
heating (jacket). Wipers are provided adjacent to the vessel wall. Wipers are connected to a
rotating head through a rotor. The condensers are arranged very close to the wall (evaporating
surface). Vacuum pump is connected to a large diameter pipe at the center of the vessel.
Provisions are made for collecting the distillate and the undistilled liquid residue at the bottom.

Working

The vessel is heated by suitable means. Vacuum is applied at the center of the vessel and wipers
are allowed to rotate. The feed is entered through the inlet of the vessel. As the liquid flows
down the walls, it is spread to form a film by PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) wipers, which are
moving at a rate of 3 m per second. The velocity of the film is 1.5 m per second. Since the
surface is already heated, the liquid film evaporates directly. The vapor (molecules) travels its
mean free path and strikes the condenser. The condensate is collected into a vessel. The residue
(undistilled or mean free path not travelled) is collected from the bottom of the vessel and re-
circulated through the feed port for further distillation. Capacity is about 1000 L / hour.