CHE1002 - Process Calculations

Dr. S. K. Behera
School of Chemical Engineering
Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, TN, India – 632 014.
Module 3

Material balance without chemical

reactions
Extraction
• When the separation of a liquid mixture into its component parts is
not easily possible by distillation, extraction operation is used.

• This operation is used in the chemical industry for the separation of

the components of a liquid mixture with the help of a suitable liquid
solvent which preferentially dissolve one of them.

• When the solvent is added to the feed solution, two immiscible layers
are formed and are separated using density difference.
Extract phase – The solvent rich phase containing the extracted solute

Raffinate phase – The original solvent phase from which the solute is removed by
extraction

It does not give a pure product and needs further processing.

Overall Material balance:

Feed solution + Solvent = Extract phase + Raffinate phase

If A is the solute to be extracted, then the material balance of A with a fresh solvent is

‘A’ in feed solution = ‘A’ in Extract phase + ‘A’ in Raffinate phase

Extraction operation is also carried out for the removal of a soluble
constituent of solids with the help of a suitable liquid solvent (called solid
extraction/Leaching).

Example: Oil seed extraction or leaching of valuable metals from mineral

ores.

Material balance of solids:

Solids in seeds = Solids in meal…if no solids in solvent

Material balance of Oil:

Oil in seeds = Oil in meal + Oil in solvent (extracted oil)

Problem - 1
An aqueous solution of pyridine containing 27% (w/w) pyridine is to be
extracted using chlorobenzene. The feed and solvent are mixed well in
a batch extractor and then the mixture is allowed to stand for phase
separation. The extract phase contains 11% pyridine, 88.1%
chlorobenzene and 0.9% water (w/w). The raffinate phase contains 5%
pyridine and 95% water (w/w). Calculate:

(a) The quantities of two phases

(b) The weight ratio of solvent to feed (Basis: 100 kg of feed)

Basis: 100 kg of feed
Pyridine in feed = 0.27 * 100 = 27 kg
Water in feed = 0.73 * 100 = 73 kg

X
11% pyridine, 88.1% chlorobenzene
& 0.9% water

Y
Z 5% pyridine and 95% water

Let x, y and z be the quantities of extract phase, raffinate phase and

solvent required.
Overall MB: Feed + Solvent = Extract phase + Raffinate phase
100 + z = x + y ------- (1)
MB for Pyridine: 0.11 x + 0.05 y = 27 ------- (2)
MB for Water: 0.009 x + 0.95 y = 73 ------- (3)
Solving equations (2) and (3),

x = 211.4 kg (Quantity of extract phase)

and y = 74.84 kg (Quantity of raffinate phase)

Substituting the values of x and y in eq. (1),

z = 186.24 kg (Amount of solvent required)

Weight ratio of solvent to feed = 186.24/100 = 1.8624

Problem - 2
1000 kg of a 30% (w/w) solution of acetone in water is contacted with
pure MIBK (methyl isobutyl ketone) to extract acetone in a mixer-
settler. The operating temperature is 25°C. From the settler, the two
phases separated are withdrawn separately. Find the quantity of MIBK
that must be fed to the process to reduce the acetone concentration in
the water rich phase to 5% and also calculate the percentage of
acetone in the original feed solution which remains unextracted.

Composition of phases:

Raffinate phase: 5% acetone, 92.5% H2O, and 2.5% MIBK

Extract phase: 10% acetone, 87% MIBK, and 3% H2O

Basis: 1000 kg of 30% solution of acetone in water

Let x, y and z be the kg of raffinate (water rich) phase, extract phase

obtained, and solvent required for extraction.

Overall MB in Mixer-settler:

Feed + Solvent = Raffinate phase + Extract phase

1000 + z = x + y ------- (1)

MB of Acetone:

Acetone in feed = Acetone in Raffinate + Acetone in Extract

0.3 (1000) = 0.05 x + 0.10 y ------- (2)

MB of Water:

0.7 (1000) = 0.925 x + 0.03 y ------- (3)

Solving equations (2) and (3),

x = 670 kg (Quantity of raffinate phase)

and y = 2665 kg (Quantity of extract phase)

Substituting the values of x and y in eq. (1), z = 2335 kg (Amount of

MIBK required)

Quantity of acetone in the feed solution = 0.3 (1000) = 300 kg

Quantity of acetone in the raffinate phase = 0.05 (670) = 33.5 kg

% Acetone remained unextracted in the raffinate phase =

(33.5/300)*100 = 11.17%
Problem - 3
The ground nut seeds containing 45% oil, 45% solids, and 10%
moisture are fed to expeller, the cake coming out of expeller is found to
contain 80% solids, 5% oil, and 15% moisture. Find the percentage
recovery of oil.

Basis: 100 kg of ground nut seeds

Let x – kg of cake obtained

MB of solids: Solids in seeds = Solids in cake

0.45 * 100 = 0.8 x => x = 56.25 kg
MB of Oil:
Oil in seeds = Oil in cake + Oil recovered
(0.45×100) = (0.05×56.25) + Oil recovered
 Oil recovered = 45 – 2.82 = 42.19 kg

% recovery of the oil = (kg oil recovered/kg oil seeds) × 100

= (42.19/45)×100 = 93.75%