Perry s chemical engineers handbook 8e section 15liquid liquid extraction and other liquid liquid

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DOI: 10.1036/0071511385

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15-1

Section 15

Liquid-Liquid Extraction and Other

Liquid-Liquid Operations and Equipment*

Timothy C. Frank, Ph.D. Research Scientist and Sr. Technical Leader, The Dow Chemi￾cal Company; Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Section Editor, Introduction

and Overview, Thermodynamic Basis for Liquid-Liquid Extraction, Solvent Screening Methods,

Liquid-Liquid Dispersion Fundamentals, Process Fundamentals and Basic Calculation Meth￾ods, Dual-Solvent Fractional Extraction, Extractor Selection, Packed Columns, Agitated Extrac￾tion Columns, Mixer-Settler Equipment, Centrifugal Extractors, Process Control Considerations,

Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Equipment, Emerging Developments)

Lise Dahuron, Ph.D. Sr. Research Specialist, The Dow Chemical Company (Liquid Den￾sity, Viscosity, and Interfacial Tension; Liquid-Liquid Dispersion Fundamentals; Liquid-Liquid

Phase Separation Equipment; Membrane-Based Processes)

Bruce S. Holden, M.S. Process Research Leader, The Dow Chemical Company; Member,

American Institute of Chemical Engineers [Process Fundamentals and Basic Calculation Meth￾ods, Calculation Procedures, Computer-Aided Calculations (Simulations), Single-Solvent Frac￾tional Extraction with Extract Reflux, Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Equipment]

William D. Prince, M.S. Process Engineering Associate, The Dow Chemical Company;

Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Extractor Selection, Agitated Extraction

Columns, Mixer-Settler Equipment)

A. Frank Seibert, Ph.D., P.E. Technical Manager, Separations Research Program, The

University of Texas at Austin; Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Liquid￾Liquid Dispersion Fundamentals, Process Fundamentals and Basic Calculation Methods,

Hydrodynamics of Column Extractors, Static Extraction Columns, Process Control Considera￾tions, Membrane-Based Processes)

Loren C. Wilson, B.S. Sr. Research Specialist, The Dow Chemical Company (Liquid Den￾sity, Viscosity, and Interfacial Tension; Phase Diagrams; Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium Experi￾mental Methods; Data Correlation Equations; Table of Selected Partition Ratio Data)

*Certain portions of this section are drawn from the work of Lanny A. Robbins and Roger W. Cusack, authors of Sec. 15 in the 7th edition. The input from numer￾ous expert reviewers also is gratefully acknowledged.

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Historical Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-6

Uses for Liquid-Liquid Extraction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-7

Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-10

Desirable Solvent Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-11

Commercial Process Schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-13

Standard Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-13

Fractional Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-13

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Dissociative Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-15

pH-Swing Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16

Reaction-Enhanced Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16

Extractive Reaction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16

Temperature-Swing Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-17

Reversed Micellar Extraction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18

Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18

Hybrid Extraction Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18

Liquid-Solid Extraction (Leaching) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-19

Liquid-Liquid Partitioning of Fine Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-19

Supercritical Fluid Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-19

Key Considerations in the Design of an Extraction Operation . . . . . . . 15-20

Laboratory Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-21

THERMODYNAMIC BASIS FOR LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION

Activity Coefficients and the Partition Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-22

Extraction Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-22

Separation Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-23

Minimum and Maximum Solvent-to-Feed Ratios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-23

Temperature Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-23

Salting-out and Salting-in Effects for Nonionic Solutes . . . . . . . . . . . 15-24

Effect of pH for Ionizable Organic Solutes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-24

Phase Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-25

Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium Experimental Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-27

Data Correlation Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-27

Tie Line Correlations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-27

Thermodynamic Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-28

Data Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-28

Table of Selected Partition Ratio Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-32

Phase Equilibrium Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-32

Recommended Model Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-32

SOLVENT SCREENING METHODS

Use of Activity Coefficients and Related Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-32

Robbins’ Chart of Solute-Solvent Interactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-32

Activity Coefficient Prediction Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-33

Methods Used to Assess Liquid-Liquid Miscibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-34

Computer-Aided Molecular Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-38

High-Throughput Experimental Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-39

LIQUID DENSITY, VISCOSITY, AND INTERFACIAL TENSION

Density and Viscosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-39

Interfacial Tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-39

LIQUID-LIQUID DISPERSION FUNDAMENTALS

Holdup, Sauter Mean Diameter, and Interfacial Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-41

Factors Affecting Which Phase Is Dispersed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-41

Size of Dispersed Drops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-42

Stability of Liquid-Liquid Dispersions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-43

Effect of Solid-Surface Wettability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-43

Marangoni Instabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-43

PROCESS FUNDAMENTALS AND

BASIC CALCULATION METHODS

Theoretical (Equilibrium) Stage Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-44

McCabe-Thiele Type of Graphical Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-45

Kremser-Souders-Brown Theoretical Stage Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-45

Stage Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-46

Rate-Based Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-47

Solute Diffusion and Mass-Transfer Coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-47

Mass-Transfer Rate and Overall Mass-Transfer Coefficients . . . . . . . 15-47

Mass-Transfer Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-48

Extraction Factor and General Performance Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-49

Potential for Solute Purification Using Standard Extraction . . . . . . . . . 15-50

CALCULATION PROCEDURES

Shortcut Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-51

Example 1: Shortcut Calculation, Case A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-52

Example 2: Shortcut Calculation, Case B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-52

Example 3: Number of Transfer Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-53

Computer-Aided Calculations (Simulations). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-53

Example 4: Extraction of Phenol from Wastewater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-54

Fractional Extraction Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-55

Dual-Solvent Fractional Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-55

Single-Solvent Fractional Extraction with Extract Reflux . . . . . . . . . 15-56

Example 5: Simplified Sulfolane Process—Extraction

of Toluene from n-Heptane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-56

LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT

Extractor Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-58

Hydrodynamics of Column Extractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-59

Flooding Phenomena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-59

Accounting for Axial Mixing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-60

Liquid Distributors and Dispersers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-63

Static Extraction Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-63

Common Features and Design Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-63

Spray Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-69

Packed Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-70

Sieve Tray Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-74

Baffle Tray Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-78

Agitated Extraction Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-79

Rotating-Impeller Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-79

Reciprocating-Plate Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-83

Rotating-Disk Contactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-84

Pulsed-Liquid Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-85

Raining-Bucket Contactor (a Horizontal Column) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-85

Mixer-Settler Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-86

Mass-Transfer Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-86

Miniplant Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-87

Liquid-Liquid Mixer Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-87

Scale-up Criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-88

Specialized Mixer-Settler Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-89

Suspended-Fiber Contactor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-90

Centrifugal Extractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-91

Single-Stage Centrifugal Extractors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-91

Centrifugal Extractors Designed for

Multistage Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-92

PROCESS CONTROL CONSIDERATIONS

Steady-State Process Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-93

Sieve Tray Column Interface Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-94

Controlled-Cycling Mode of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-94

LIQUID-LIQUID PHASE SEPARATION EQUIPMENT

Overall Process Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-96

Feed Characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-96

Gravity Decanters (Settlers). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-97

Design Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-97

Vented Decanters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-98

Decanters with Coalescing Internals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-99

Sizing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-99

Other Types of Separators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-101

Coalescers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-101

Centrifuges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-101

Hydrocyclones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-101

Ultrafiltration Membranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-102

Electrotreaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-102

EMERGING DEVELOPMENTS

Membrane-Based Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-103

Polymer Membranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-103

Liquid Membranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-104

Electrically Enhanced Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-104

Phase Transition Extraction and Tunable Solvents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-105

Ionic Liquids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-105

15-2 LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION AND OTHER LIQUID-LIQUID OPERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT

LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION AND OTHER LIQUID-LIQUID OPERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT 15-3

a Interfacial area per unit m2

/m3 ft2

/ft3

volume

ap Specific packing surface area m2

/m3 ft2

/ft3

(area per unit volume)

aw Specific wall surface area m2

/m3 ft2

/ft3

(area per unit volume)

bij NRTL model regression K K

parameter (see Table 15-10)

A Envelope-style downcomer m2 ft2

area

A Area between settled layers m2 ft2

in a decanter

Acol Column cross-sectional area m2 ft2

Adow Area for flow through m2 ft2

a downcorner (or

upcomer)

Ai,j/RT van Laar binary interaction Dimensionless Dimensionless

parameter

Ao Cross-sectional area of a m2 in2

single hole

C Concentration (mass or kgm3 or lb/ft3 or

mol per unit volume) kgmolm3 lbmolft3

or gmolL

CA

i Concentration of component kgm3 or lb/ft3 or

A at the interface kgmolm3 lbmolft3

or gmolL

C* Concentration at equilibrium kgm3 or lb/ft3 or

kgmolm3 lbmolft3

or gmolL

CD Drag coefficient Dimensionless Dimensionless

Co Initial concentration kgm3 or lb/ft3

kgmolm3 or lbmolft3

or gmolL

Ct Concentration at time t kgm3 or lb/ft3

kgmolm3 or lbmolft3

or gmolL

d Drop diameter m in

dC Critical packing dimension m in

di Diameter of an individual drop m in

dm Characteristic diameter of m in

media in a packed bed

do Orifice or nozzle diameter m in

dp Sauter mean drop diameter m in

d32 Sauter mean drop diameter m in

Dcol Column diameter m in or ft

Deq Equivalent diameter giving m in

the same area

Dh Equivalent hydraulic diameter m in

Di Distribution ratio for a given

chemical species including

all its forms (unspecified units)

Di Impeller diameter or m in or ft

characteristic mixer

diameter

Dsm Static mixer diameter m in or ft

Dt Tank diameter m ft

D Molecular diffusion coefficient m2

/s cm2

/s

(diffusivity)

DAB Mutual diffusion coefficient m2

/s cm2

/s

for components A and B

E Mass or mass flow rate of kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

extract phase

E′ Solvent mass or mass flow rate

(in the extract phase)

E Axial mixing coefficient m2

/s cm2

/s

(eddy diffusivity)

E C Extraction factor for case C Dimensionless Dimensionless

[Eq. (15-98)]

Ei Extraction factor for Dimensionless Dimensionless

component i

Es Stripping section extraction Dimensionless Dimensionless

factor

E w Washing section extraction Dimensionless Dimensionless

factor

fda Fractional downcomer area Dimensionless Dimensionless

in Eq. (15-160)

fha Fractional hole area in Dimensionless Dimensionless

Eq. (15-159)

F Mass or mass flow rate of kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

feed phase

F Force N lbf

F′ Feed mass or mass flow rate kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

(feed solvent only)

FR Solute reduction factor (ratio of Dimensionless Dimensionless

inlet to outlet concentrations)

g Gravitational acceleration 9.807 m/s2 32.17 ft/s2

Gij NRTL model parameter Dimensionless Dimensionless

h Height of coalesced layer at m in

a sieve tray

h Head loss due to frictional flow m in

h Height of dispersion band in m in

batch decanter

hi

E Excess enthalpy Jgmol Btulbmol

of mixing or calgmol

H Dimensionless group defined Dimensionless Dimensionless

by Eq. (15-123)

H Dimension of envelope-style m in or ft

downcomer (Fig. 15-39)

∆H Steady-state dispersion band m in

height in a continuously fed

decanter

HDU Height of a dispersion unit m in

He Height of a transfer unit due m in

to resistance in extract phase

HETS Height equivalent to a m in

theoretical stage

Hor Height of an overall m in

mass-tranfer unit based on

raffinate phase

Hr Height of a transfer unit due m in

to resistance in raffinate phase

I Ionic strength in Eq. (15-26)

k Individual mass-transfer m/s or cm/s ft/h

coefficient

k Mass-transfer coefficient

(unspecified units)

km Membrane-side mass-transfer m/s or cm/s ft/h

coefficient

ko Overall mass-transfer m/s or cm/s ft/h

coefficient

kc Continuous-phase m/s or cm/s ft/h

mass-transfer coefficient

kd Dispersed-phase mass-transfer m/s or cm/s ft/h

coefficient

ks Setschenow constant Lgmol Lgmol

ks Shell-side mass-transfer m/s or cm/s ft/h

coefficient

kt Tube-side mass-transfer m/s or cm/s ft/h

coefficient

K Partition ratio (unspecified units)

K′

s Stripping section partition Mass ratio/ Mass ratio/

ratio (in Bancroft coordinates) mass ratio mass ratio

Nomenclature

A given symbol may represent more than one property. The appropriate meaning should be apparent from the context. The equations given in Sec. 15 reflect the

use of the SI or cgs system of units and not ft-lb-s units, unless otherwise noted in the text. The gravitational conversion factor gc needed to use ft-lb-s units is not

included in the equations.

U.S. Customary U.S. Customary

Symbol Definition SI units System units Symbol Definition SI units System units

15-4 LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION AND OTHER LIQUID-LIQUID OPERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT

Re Reynolds number: for pipe Dimensionless Dimensionless

flow, Vdρµ; for an impeller,

ρmωDi

2

µm; for drops, Vsodp ρc 

µc; for flow in a packed-bed

coalescer, Vdmρc µ; for flow

through an orifice, Vodoρdµd

ReStokes ρc∆ρgd3

p18µc

2 Dimensionless Dimensionless

S Mass or mass flow rate of kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

solvent phase

S Dimension of envelope-style m ft

downcomer (Fig. 15-39)

S′ Solvent mass or mass flow kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

rate (extraction solvent only)

S′

s Mass flow rate of extraction kg/s lb/h

solvent within stripping

section

S′

w Mass flow rate of extraction kg/s lb/h

solvent within washing section

Si,j Separation power for Dimensionless Dimensionless

separating component i from

component j [defined by

Eq. (15-105)]

Stip Impeller tip speed m/s ft/s

tb Batch mixing time s or h min or h

T Temperature (absolute) K °R

ut Stokes’ law terminal or m/s or cm/s ft/s or ft/min

settling velocity of a drop

ut∞ Unhindered settling velocity m/s or cm/s ft/s or ft/min

of a single drop

v Molar volume m3

kgmol or ft3

lbmol

cm3

gmol

V Liquid velocity (or m/s ft/s or ft/min

volumetric flow per

unit area)

V Volume m3 ft3 or gal

Vcf Continuous-phase m/s ft/s or ft/min

flooding velocity

Vcflow Cross-flow velocity of m/s ft/s or ft/min

continuous phase at

sieve tray

Vdf Dispersed-phase m/s ft/s or ft/min

flooding velocity

Vdrop Average velocity of a m/s ft/s or ft/min

dispersed drop

Vic Interstitial velocity of m/s ft/s or ft/min

continuous phase

Vo,max Maximum velocity through m/s ft/s or ft/min

an orifice or nozzle

Vs Slip velocity m/s ft/s or ft/min

Vso Slip velocity at low m/s ft/s or ft/min

dispersed-phase flow rate

Vsm Static mixer superficial liquid m/s ft/s or ft/min

velocity (entrance velocity)

W Mass or mass flow rate of kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

wash solvent phase

W′

s Mass flow rate of wash solvent kg/s lb/h

within stripping section

W′

w Mass flow rate of wash solvent kg/s lb/h

within washing section

We Weber number: for an Dimensionless Dimensionless

impeller, ρcω2

Di

3

σ; for flow

through an orifice or nozzle,

Vo

2

doρd σ; for a static mixer,

V2

smDsmρc σ

x Mole fraction solute in feed Mole fraction Mole fraction

or raffinate

X Concentration of solute in feed

or raffinate (unspecified units)

X″ Mass fraction solute in feed Mass fractions Mass fractions

or raffinate

X′ Mass solute/mass feed Mass ratios Mass ratios

solvent in feed or raffinate

Xf

B Pseudoconcentration of Mass ratios Mass ratios

solute in feed for case B

[Eq. (15-95)]

K′

w Washing section partition ratio Mass ratio/ Mass ratio/

(in Bancroft coordinates) mass ratio mass ratio

K′ Partition ratio, mass ratio basis Mass ratio/ Mass ratio/

(Bancroft coordinates) mass ratio mass ratio

K″ Partition ratio, mass fraction Mass fraction/ Mass fraction/

basis mass fraction mass fraction

Ko Partition ratio, mole Mole fraction/ Mole fraction/

fraction basis mole fraction mole fraction

Kvol Partition ratio (volumetric Ratio of kg/m3 Ratio of lb/ft3

concentration basis) or kgmolm3 or lbmolft3

or gmolL

L Downcomer (or m in or ft

upcomer) length

Lfp Length of flow path in m in or ft

Eq. (15-161)

m Local slope of equilibrium line

(unspecified concentration

units)

m′ Local slope of equilibrium line Mass ratio/ Mass ratio/

(in Bancroft coordinates) mass ratio mass ratio

mdc Local slope of equilibrium line

for dispersed-phase

concentration plotted versus

continuous-phase

concentration

mer Local slope of equilibrium

line for extract-phase

concentration plotted

versus raffinate-phase

concentration

mvol Local slope of equilibrium Ratio of kg/m3 Ratio of lb/ft3 or

line (volumetric or kgmolm3 lbmolft3

concentration basis) or gmolL units

M Mass or mass flow rate kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

MW Molecular weight kgkgmol or lblbmol

ggmol

N Number of theoretical stages Dimensionless Dimensionless

NA Flux of component A (mass (kg or kgmol)/ (lb or lbmol)

or mol/area/unit time) (m2

⋅s) (ft2

⋅s)

Nholes Number of holes Dimensionless Dimensionless

Nor Number of overall Dimensionless Dimensionless

mass-transfer units based

on the raffinate phase

Ns Number of theoretical stages Dimensionless Dimensionless

in stripping section

Nw Number of theoretical stages Dimensionless Dimensionless

in washing section

P Pressure bar or Pa atm or lbf /in2

P Dimensionless group defined Dimensionless Dimensionless

by Eq. (15-122)

P Power W or kW HP or ft⋅lbf /h

Pe Péclet number Vb/E, Dimensionless Dimensionless

where V is liquid

velocity, E is axial mixing

coefficient, and b is a

characteristic equipment

dimension

Pi,extract Purity of solute i in wt % wt %

extract (in wt %)

Pi,feed Purity of solute i in feed wt % wt %

(in wt %)

Po Power number P(ρmω3

Di

5

) Dimensionless Dimensionless

∆Pdow Pressure drop for flow bar or Pa atm or lbf /in2

through a downcomer

(or upcomer)

∆Po Orifice pressure drop bar or Pa atm or lbf /in2

q MOSCED induction Dimensionless Dimensionless

parameter

Q Volumetric flow rate m3

/s ft3

/min

R Universal gas constant 8.31 J⋅K 1.99 Btu⋅°R

kgmol lbmol

R Mass or mass flow rate of kg or kg/s lb or lb/h

raffinate phase

RA Rate of mass-transfer (moles kgmols lbmolh

per unit time)

Nomenclature (Continued)

U.S. Customary U.S. Customary

Symbol Definition SI units System units Symbol Definition SI units System units

LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION AND OTHER LIQUID-LIQUID OPERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT 15-5

Nomenclature (Concluded)

U.S. Customary U.S. Customary

Symbol Definition SI units System units Symbol Definition SI units System units

Xf

C Pseudoconcentration of Mass ratios Mass ratios

solute in feed for case C

[Eq. (15-97)]

Xi,extract Concentration of solute i Mass fraction Mass fraction

in extract

Xi,feed Concentration of solute i Mass fraction Mass fraction

in feed

Xij Concentration of component Mass fraction Mass fraction

i in the phase richest in j

y Mole fraction solute in Mole fraction Mole fraction

solvent or extract

Y Concentration of solute in

the solvent or extract

(unspecified units)

Y″ Mass fraction solute Mass fraction Mass fraction

in solvent or extract

Y′ Mass solute/mass extraction Mass ratio Mass ratio

solvent in solvent or

extract

Ys

B Pseudoconcentration of Mass ratio Mass ratio

solute in solvent for case B

[Eq. (15-96)]

z Dimension or direction of m in or ft

mass transfer

z Sieve tray spacing m in or ft

z Point representing feed

composition on a tie line

zi Number of electronic Dimensionless Dimensionless

charges on an ion

Zt Total height of extractor m ft

Greek Symbols

α MOSCED hydrogen-bond (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

acidity parameter

α Solvatochromic hydrogen-bond (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

acidity parameter

αi,j Separation factor for solute i Dimensionless Dimensionless

with respect to solute j

αi,j NRTL model parameter Dimensionless Dimensionless

β MOSCED hydrogen-bond (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

basicity parameter

β Solvatochromic hydrogen-bond (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

basicity parameter

γi,j Activity coefficient of i Dimensionless Dimensionless

dissolved in j

γ ∞ Activity coefficient at Dimensionless Dimensionless

infinite dilution

γ C

i Activity coefficient, Dimensionless Dimensionless

combinatorial part of

UNIFAC

γ i

I Activity coefficient of Dimensionless Dimensionless

component i in phase I

γ i

R Activity coefficient, residual Dimensionless Dimensionless

part of UNIFAC

ε Void fraction Dimensionless Dimensionless

ε Fractional open area of a Dimensionless Dimensionless

perforated plate

δ Solvatochromic polarizability (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

parameter

δd Hansen nonpolar (dispersion) (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

solubility parameter

δh Hansen solubility parameter (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

for hydrogen bonding

δp Hansen polar solubility (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

parameter

Greek Symbols

δ i Solubility parameter for (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

component i

δ

⎯ Solubility parameter for mixture (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

ζ Tortuosity factor defined by Dimensionless Dimensionless

Eq. (15-147)

θ Residence time for total liquid s s or min

θi Fraction of solute i extracted Dimensionless Dimensionless

from feed

λ MOSCED dispersion parameter (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

λm Membrane thickness mm in

µ Liquid viscosity Pa⋅s cP

µi

I Chemical potential of J/gmol Btu/lbmol

component i in phase I

µm Mixture mean viscosity Pa⋅s cP

defined in Eq. (15-180)

µw Reference viscosity (of water) Pa⋅s cP

ξ1 MOSCED asymmetry factor Dimensionless Dimensionless

ξbatch Efficiency of a batch Dimensionless Dimensionless

experiment [Eq. (15-175)]

ξcontinuous Efficiency of a continuous Dimensionless Dimensionless

process [Eq. (15-176)]

ξm Murphree stage efficiency Dimensionless Dimensionless

ξmd Murphree stage efficiency Dimensionless Dimensionless

based on dispersed phase

ξo Overall stage efficiency Dimensionless Dimensionless

π Solvatochromic polarity (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

parameter

∆π Osmotic pressure gradient bar or Pa atm or lbf /in2

ρ Liquid density kg/m3 lb/ft3

ρm Mixture mean density defined kg/m3 lb/ft3

in Eq. (15-178)

σ Interfacial tension N/m dyn/cm

τ MOSCED polarity parameter (J/cm3

)

1/2 (cal/cm3

)

1/2

τi,j NRTL model parameter Dimensionless Dimensionless

φ Volume fraction Dimensionless Dimensionless

φd Volume fraction of dispersed Dimensionless Dimensionless

phase (holdup)

φd,feed Volume fraction of dispersed Dimensionless Dimensionless

phase in feed

φo Initial dispersed-phase holdup Dimensionless Dimensionless

in feed to a decanter

ϕ Volume fraction of voids Dimensionless Dimensionless

in a packed bed

Φ Factor governing use of Eqs. Dimensionless Dimensionless

(15-148) and (15-149)

χ Parameter in Eq. (15-41) Dimensionless Dimensionless

indicating which phase is

likely to be dispersed

ω Impeller speed Rotations/s Rotations/min

Additional Subscripts

c Continuous phase

d Dispersed phase

e Extract phase

f Feed phase or flooding condition (when combined with d or c)

i Component i

j Component j

H Heavy liquid

L Light liquid

max Maximum value

min Minimum value

o Orifice or nozzle

r Raffinate phase

s Solvent

GENERAL REFERENCES: Wankat, Separation Process Engineering, 2d ed.

(Prentice-Hall, 2006); Seader and Henley, Separation Process Principles, 2d ed.

(Wiley, 2006); Seibert, “Extraction and Leaching,” Chap. 14 in Chemical Process

Equipment: Selection and Design, 2d ed., Couper et al., eds. (Elsevier, 2005);

Aguilar and Cortina, Solvent Extraction and Liquid Membranes: Fundamentals

and Applications in New Materials (Dekker, 2005); Glatz and Parker, “Enriching

Liquid-Liquid Extraction,” Chem. Eng. Magazine, 111(11), pp. 44–48 (2004); Sol￾vent Extraction Principles and Practice, 2d ed., Rydberg et al., eds. (Dekker, 2004);

Ion Exchange and Solvent Extraction, vol. 17, Marcus and SenGupta, eds. (Dekker,

2004), and earlier volumes in the series; Leng and Calabrese, “Immiscible Liquid￾Liquid Systems,” Chap. 12 in Handbook of Industrial Mixing: Science and Practice,

Paul, Atiemo-Obeng, and Kresta, eds. (Wiley, 2004); Cheremisinoff, Industrial Sol￾vents Handbook, 2d ed. (Dekker, 2003); Van Brunt and Kanel, “Extraction with

Reaction,” Chap. 3 in Reactive Separation Processes, Kulprathipanja, ed. (Taylor &

Francis, 2002); Mueller et al., “Liquid-Liquid Extraction” in Ullmann’s Encyclope￾dia of Industrial Chemistry, 6th ed. (VCH, 2002); Benitez, Principles and Modern

Applications of Mass Transfer Operations(Wiley, 2002); Wypych, Handbook of Sol￾vents (Chemtec, 2001); Flick, Industrial Solvents Handbook, 5th ed. (Noyes,

1998); Robbins, “Liquid-Liquid Extraction,” Sec. 1.9 in Handbook of Separation

Techniques for Chemical Engineers, 3d ed., Schweitzer, ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1997);

Lo, “Commercial Liquid-Liquid Extraction Equipment,” Sec. 1.10 in Handbook of

Separation Techniques for Chemical Engineers, 3d ed., Schweitzer, ed. (McGraw￾Hill, 1997); Humphrey and Keller, “Extraction,” Chap. 3 in Separation Process

Technology (McGraw-Hill, 1997), pp. 113–151; Cusack and Glatz, “Apply Liquid￾Liquid Extraction to Today’s Problems,” Chem. Eng. Magazine, 103(7), pp. 94–103

(1996); Liquid-Liquid Extraction Equipment, Godfrey and Slater, eds. (Wiley,

1994); Zaslavsky, Aqueous Two-Phase Partitioning (Dekker, 1994); Strigle, “Liquid￾Liquid Extraction,” Chap. 11 in Packed Tower Design and Applications, 2d ed.

(Gulf, 1994); Schügerl, Solvent Extraction in Biotechnology (Springer-Verlag,

1994); Schügerl, “Liquid-Liquid Extraction (Small Molecules),” Chap. 21 in

Biotechnology, 2d ed., vol. 3, Stephanopoulos, ed. (VCH, 1993); Kelley and Hat￾ton, “Protein Purification by Liquid-Liquid Extraction,” Chap. 22 in Biotechnol￾ogy, 2d ed., vol. 3, Stephanopoulos, ed. (VCH, 1993); Lo and Baird, “Extraction,

Liquid-Liquid,” in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th ed.,

vol. 10, Kroschwitz and Howe-Grant, eds. (Wiley, 1993), pp. 125–180; Science and

Practice of Liquid-Liquid Extraction, vol. 1, Phase Equilibria; Mass Transfer and

Interfacial Phenomena; Extractor Hydrodynamics, Selection, and Design, and vol.

2, Process Chemistry and Extraction Operations in the Hydrometallurgical,

Nuclear, Pharmaceutical, and Food Industries, Thornton, ed. (Oxford, 1992);

Cusack, Fremeaux, and Glatz, “A Fresh Look at Liquid-Liquid Extraction,” pt. 1,

“Extraction Systems,” Chem. Eng. Magazine, 98(2), pp. 66–67 (1991); Cusack and

Fremeauz, pt. 2, “Inside the Extractor,” Chem. Eng. Magazine, 98(3), pp. 132–138

(1991); Cusack and Karr, pt. 3, “Extractor Design and Specification,” Chem. Eng.

Magazine, 98(4), pp. 112–120 (1991); Methods in Enzymology, vol. 182, Guide to

Protein Purification, Deutscher, ed. (Academic, 1990); Wankat, Equilibrium

Staged Separations (Prentice Hall, 1988); Blumberg, Liquid-Liquid Extraction

(Academic, 1988); Skelland and Tedder, “Extraction—Organic Chemicals Process￾ing,” Chap. 7 in Handbook of Separation Process Technology, Rousseau, ed. (Wiley,

1987); Chapman, “Extraction—Metals Processing,” Chap. 8 in Handbook of Sepa￾ration Process Technology, Rousseau, ed. (Wiley, 1987); Novak, Matous, and Pick,

Liquid-Liquid Equilibria, Studies in Modern Thermodynamics Series, vol. 7 (Else￾vier, 1987); Bailes et al., “Extraction, Liquid-Liquid” in Encyclopedia of Chemical

Processing and Design, vol. 21, McKetta and Cunningham, eds. (Dekker, 1984),

pp. 19–166; Handbook of Solvent Extraction, Lo, Baird, and Hanson, eds. (Wiley,

1983; Krieger, 1991); Sorenson and Arlt, Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium Data Collec￾tion, DECHEMA, Binary Systems, vol. V, pt. 1, 1979, Ternary Systems, vol. V, pt.

2, 1980, Ternary and Quaternary Systems, vol. 5, pt. 3, 1980, Macedo and Ras￾mussen, Suppl. 1, vol. V, pt. 4, 1987; Wisniak and Tamir, Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium

and Extraction, a Literature Source Book, vols. I and II (Elsevier, 1980–1981),

Suppl. 1 (1985); Treybal, Mass Transfer Operations, 3d ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1980);

King, Separation Processes, 2d ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1980); Laddha and Degaleesan,

Transport Phenomena in Liquid Extraction (McGraw-Hill, 1978); Brian, Staged

Cascades in Chemical Processing (Prentice-Hall, 1972); Pratt, Countercurrent Sep￾aration Processes (Elsevier, 1967); Treybal, “Liquid Extractor Performance,”

Chem. Eng. Prog., 62(9), pp. 67–75 (1966); Treybal, Liquid Extraction, 2d ed.

(McGraw-Hill, 1963); Alders, Liquid-Liquid Extraction, 2d ed. (Elsevier, 1959).

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Liquid-liquid extraction is a process for separating the components of

a liquid (the feed) by contact with a second liquid phase (the solvent).

The process takes advantage of differences in the chemical proper￾ties of the feed components, such as differences in polarity and

hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, to separate them. Stated more

precisely, the transfer of components from one phase to the other is

driven by a deviation from thermodynamic equilibrium, and the

equilibrium state depends on the nature of the interactions between

the feed components and the solvent phase. The potential for sepa￾rating the feed components is determined by differences in these

interactions.

A liquid-liquid extraction process produces a solvent-rich stream

called the extract that contains a portion of the feed and an extracted￾feed stream called the raffinate. A commercial process almost always

includes two or more auxiliary operations in addition to the extraction

operation itself. These extra operations are needed to treat the extract

and raffinate streams for the purposes of isolating a desired product,

recovering the solvent for recycle to the extractor, and purging

unwanted components from the process. A typical process includes

two or more distillation operations in addition to extraction.

Liquid-liquid extraction is used to recover desired components

from a crude liquid mixture or to remove unwanted contaminants. In

developing a process, the project team must decide what solvent or

solvent mixture to use, how to recover solvent from the extract, and

how to remove solvent residues from the raffinate. The team must

also decide what temperature or range of temperatures should be

used for the extraction, what process scheme to employ among many

possibilities, and what type of equipment to use for liquid-liquid con￾tacting and phase separation. The variety of commercial equipment

options is large and includes stirred tanks and decanters, specialized

mixer-settlers, a wide variety of agitated and nonagitated extraction

columns or towers, and various types of centrifuges.

Because of the availability of hundreds of commercial solvents and

extractants, as well as a wide variety of established process schemes

and equipment options, liquid-liquid extraction is a versatile technol￾ogy with a wide range of commercial applications. It is utilized in the

processing of numerous commodity and specialty chemicals including

metals and nuclear fuel (hydrometallurgy), petrochemicals, coal and

wood-derived chemicals, and complex organics such as pharmaceuti￾cals and agricultural chemicals. Liquid-liquid extraction also is an

important operation in industrial wastewater treatment, food process￾ing, and the recovery of biomolecules from fermentation broth.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The art of solvent extraction has been practiced in one form or

another since ancient times. It appears that prior to the 19th century

solvent extraction was primarily used to isolate desired components

such as perfumes and dyes from plant solids and other natural sources

[Aftalion, A History of the International Chemical Industry (Univ.

Penn. Press, 1991); and Taylor, A History of Industrial Chemistry

(Abelard-Schuman, 1957)]. However, several early applications

involving liquid-liquid contacting are described by Blass, Liebel, and

Haeberl [“Solvent Extraction—A Historical Review,” International

Solvent Extraction Conf. (ISEC) ‘96 Proceedings (Univ. of Mel￾bourne, 1996)], including the removal of pigment from oil by using

water as the solvent.

The modern practice of liquid-liquid extraction has its roots in the

middle to late 19th century when extraction became an important lab￾oratory technique. The partition ratio concept describing how a solute

partitions between two liquid phases at equilibrium was introduced by

Berthelot and Jungfleisch [Ann. Chim. Phys., 4, p. 26 (1872)] and fur￾ther defined by Nernst [Z. Phys. Chemie, 8, p. 110 (1891)]. At about

the same time, Gibbs published his theory of phase equilibrium (1876

and 1878). These and other advances were accompanied by a growing

chemical industry. An early countercurrent extraction process utiliz￾ing ethyl acetate solvent was patented by Goering in 1883 as a method

for recovering acetic acid from “pyroligneous acid” produced by

pyrolysis of wood [Othmer, p. xiv in Handbook of Solvent Extraction

(Wiley, 1983; Krieger, 1991)], and Pfleiderer patented a stirred extrac￾tion column in 1898 [Blass, Liebl, and Haeberl, ISEC ’96 Proceedings

(Univ. of Melbourne, 1996)].

15-6

With the emergence of the chemical engineering profession in the

1890s and early 20th century, additional attention was given to process

fundamentals and development of a more quantitative basis for

process design. Many of the advances made in the study of distillation

and absorption were readily adapted to liquid-liquid extraction, owing

to its similarity as another diffusion-based operation. Examples

include application of mass-transfer coefficients [Lewis, Ind. Eng.

Chem., 8(9), pp. 825–833 (1916); and Lewis and Whitman, Ind. Eng.

Chem., 16(12), pp. 1215–1220 (1924)], the use of graphical stagewise

design methods [McCabe and Thiele, Ind. Eng. Chem., 17(6), pp.

605–611 (1925); Evans, Ind. Eng. Chem., 26(8), pp. 860–864 (1934);

and Thiele, Ind. Eng. Chem., 27(4), pp. 392–396 (1935)], the use of

theoretical-stage calculations [Kremser, National Petroleum News,

22(21), pp. 43–49 (1930); and Souders and Brown, Ind. Eng. Chem.

24(5), pp. 519–522 (1932)], and the transfer unit concept introduced

in the late 1930s by Colburn and others [Colburn, Ind. Eng. Chem.,

33(4), pp. 459–467 (1941)]. Additional background is given by

Hampe, Hartland, and Slater [Chap. 2 in Liquid-Liquid Extraction

Equipment, Godfrey and Slater, eds. (Wiley, 1994)].

The number of commercial applications continued to grow, and by

the 1930s liquid-liquid extraction had replaced various chemical treat￾ment methods for refining mineral oil and coal tar products [Varter￾essian and Fenske, Ind. Eng. Chem., 28(8), pp. 928–933 (1936)]. It

was also used to recover acetic acid from waste liquors generated in

the production of cellulose acetate, and in various nitration and sul￾fonation processes [Hunter and Nash, The Industrial Chemist,

9(102–104), pp. 245–248, 263–266, 313–316 (1933)]. The article by

Hunter and Nash also describes early mixer-settler equipment, mixing

jets, and various extraction columns including the spray column, baf￾fle tray column, sieve tray column, and a packed column filled with

Raschig rings or coke breeze, the material left behind when coke is

burned.

Much of the liquid-liquid extraction technology in practice today

was first introduced to industry during a period of vigorous innovation

and growth of the chemical industry as a whole from about 1920 to

1970. The advances of this period include development of fractional

extraction schemes including work described by Cornish et al., [Ind.

Eng. Chem., 26(4), pp. 397–406 (1934)] and by Thiele [Ind. Eng.

Chem., 27(4), pp. 392–396 (1935)]. A well-known commercial exam￾ple involving the use of extract reflux is the Udex process for separat￾ing aromatic compounds from hydrocarbon mixtures using diethylene

glycol, a process developed jointly by The Dow Chemical Company

and Universal Oil Products in the 1940s. This period also saw the

introduction of many new equipment designs including specialized

mixer-settler equipment, mechanically agitated extraction columns,

and centrifugal extractors as well as a great increase in the availability

of different types of industrial solvents. A variety of alcohols, ketones,

esters, and chlorinated hydrocarbons became available in large quan￾tities beginning in the 1930s, as petroleum refiners and chemical

companies found ways to manufacture them inexpensively using the

byproducts of petroleum refining operations or natural gas. Later, a

number of specialty solvents were introduced including sulfolane

(tetrahydrothiophene-1,1-dioxane) and NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidi￾none) for improved extraction of aromatics from hydrocarbons.

Specialized extractants also were developed including numerous

organophosphorous extractants used to recover or purify metals dis￾solved in aqueous solutions.

The ready availability of numerous solvents and extractants, com￾bined with the tremendous growth of the chemical industry, drove the

development and implementation of many new industrial applica￾tions. Handbooks of chemical process technology provide a glimpse of

some of these [Riegel’s Handbook of Industrial Chemistry, 10th ed.,

Kent, ed. (Springer, 2003); Chemical Processing Handbook, McKetta,

ed. (Dekker, 1993); and Austin, Shreve’s Chemical Process Industries,

5th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1984)], but many remain proprietary and are

not widely known. The better-known examples include the separation

of aromatics from aliphatics, as mentioned above, extraction of phe￾nolic compounds from coal tars and liquors, recovery of ε-caprolactam

for production of polyamide-6 (nylon-6), recovery of hydrogen perox￾ide from oxidized anthraquinone solution, plus many processes involv￾ing the washing of crude organic streams with alkaline or acidic

solutions and water, and the detoxification of industrial wastewater

prior to biotreatment using steam-strippable organic solvents. The

pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industry also began using liq￾uid-liquid extraction in the production of new synthetic drug com￾pounds and other complex organics. In these processes, often

involving multiple batch reaction steps, liquid-liquid extraction gener￾ally is used for recovery of intermediates or crude products prior to

final isolation of a pure product by crystallization. In the inorganic

chemical industry, extraction processes were developed for purifica￾tion of phosphoric acid, purification of copper by removal of arsenic

impurities, and recovery of uranium from phosphate-rock leach solu￾tions, among other applications. Extraction processes also were devel￾oped for bioprocessing applications, including the recovery of citric

acid from broth using trialkylamine extractants, the use of amyl

acetate to recover antibiotics from fermentation broth, and the use of

water-soluble polymers in aqueous two-phase extraction for purifica￾tion of proteins.

The use of supercritical or near-supercritical fluids for extraction, a

subject area normally set apart from discussions of liquid-liquid

extraction, has received a great deal of attention in the R&D commu￾nity since the 1970s. Some processes were developed many years

before then; e.g., the propane deasphalting process used to refine

lubricating oils uses propane at near-supercritical conditions, and this

technology dates back to the 1930s [McHugh and Krukonis, Super￾critical Fluid Processing, 2d ed. (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1993)]. In

more recent years the use of supercritical fluids has found a number

of commercial applications displacing earlier liquid-liquid extraction

methods, particularly for recovery of high-value products meant for

human consumption including decaffeinated coffee, flavor compo￾nents from citrus oils, and vitamins from natural sources.

Significant progress continues to be made toward improving extrac￾tion technology, including the introduction of new methods to esti￾mate solvent properties and screen candidate solvents and solvent

blends, new methods for overall process conceptualization and opti￾mization, and new methods for equipment design. Progress also is

being made by applying the technology developed for a particular

application in one industry to improve another application in another

industry. For example, much can be learned by comparing equipment

and practices used in organic chemical production with those used in

the inorganic chemical industry (and vice versa), or by comparing

practices used in commodity chemical processing with those used in

the specialty chemicals industry. And new concepts offering potential

for significant improvements continue to be described in the litera￾ture. (See “Emerging Developments.”)

USES FOR LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION

For many separation applications, the use of liquid-liquid extraction is

an alternative to the various distillation schemes described in Sec. 13,

“Distillation.” In many of these cases, a distillation process is more eco￾nomical largely because the extraction process requires extra opera￾tions to process the extract and raffinate streams, and these operations

usually involve the use of distillation anyway. However, in certain cases

the use of liquid-liquid extraction is more cost-effective than using dis￾tillation alone because it can be implemented with smaller equipment

and/or lower energy consumption. In these cases, differences in chem￾ical or molecular interactions between feed components and the sol￾vent provide a more effective means of accomplishing the desired

separation compared to differences in component volatilities.

For example, liquid-liquid extraction may be preferred when the

relative volatility of key components is less than 1.3 or so, such that an

unusually tall distillation tower is required or the design involves high

reflux ratios and high energy consumption. In certain cases, the distil￾lation option may involve addition of a solvent (extractive distillation)

or an entrainer (azeotropic distillation) to enhance the relative volatil￾ity. Even in these cases, a liquid-liquid extraction process may offer

advantages in terms of higher selectivity or lower solvent usage and

lower energy consumption, depending upon the application. Extrac￾tion may be preferred when the distillation option requires operation

at pressures less than about 70 mbar (about 50 mmHg) and an unusu￾ally large-diameter distillation tower is required, or when most of the

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 15-7