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iquid-liquid extraction is an important separation uids’ relative densities. The boundary between the continuous
technology for a wide range of applications in the phase and the droplet dispersion is referred to as the interface,
chemical process industries (CPI). Unlike distilla- and can be at the top or bottom of the extraction column.
tion, which is based on boiling point differences, extraction Figure 1 illustrates the general concept of liquid-liquid
separates components based on their relative solubilities in extraction. More fundamental information about liquid-
two immiscible liquids. Extraction is typically chosen over liquid extraction can be found in engineering textbooks as
distillation for separation applications that would not be well as in Perry’s Handbook (1).
cost-effective, or even possible, with distillation. Extraction is typically carried out in continuous, staged
This article discusses the basics of liquid-liquid extrac- units, which can be operated in either of two modes: with
tion and provides guidance on how to select the appropri- co-current mixing or with counter-current mixing. The
ate solvent and extraction equipment. It introduces key co-current mixing mode is generally limited to one theo-
concepts associated with designing a liquid-liquid extrac- retical stage per extraction unit, whereas counter-current
tion process. The article also touches on unit design and
the importance of placing temperature, pressure, and level
control devices in the correct location.
Feed
Extract
(Carrier A and
The basics Solute C)
(Solvent B and
Mixing Solute C with
In a liquid-liquid extraction unit, a liquid stream (carrier) and Phase-Settling some A)
containing the component(s) to be recovered (solute) is fed Contacting and Coalescing
Section
into an extractor, where it contacts a solvent. The two liquids Section
order for the two liquids to be subsequently separated, they p Figure 1. An extraction unit has two inlet streams (the liquid carrier
must have different densities. The droplets then accumulate containing solute molecules, and the solvent) and two outlet streams (the
above or below the continuous phase, depending on the liq- raffinate and the solute-rich extract).
22 www.aiche.org/cep November 2015 CEP Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
mixing is amenable to multiple stages per unit. For this so that both phases (dispersed and continuous) have similar
reason, counter-current mixing is usually preferred over residence times. It is generally desirable to disperse the
co-current mixing. liquid containing the solute in the extracting solvent, so
Counter-current extractors can be arranged in one of two that the direction of mass transfer is out of the dispersed
ways (Figure 2), the choice of which depends on the density droplets and into the continuous phase.
of the solvent relative to that of the solute carrier. If the The dispersion in the extraction unit is unstable, so
solvent is less-dense than the carrier liquid, the solvent is fed the droplets will eventually separate into a bulk phase.
into the bottom of the column, the solute is carried upward Droplet size is a critical parameter in determining the rate
to the top of the extractor, and the carrier liquid is removed at which that occurs. The maximum stable size of droplets
from the bottom of the unit (Figure 2, left). If the solvent is in the contacting section of static (nonagitated) extractors
more-dense than the carrier liquid, the solvent is fed into the depends on the internal energy and physical properties
top of the column, the solute is carried downward to the bot- of the fluids, and can be determined through statistical
tom of the extractor, and the carrier stream is removed from measurements taken during extraction tests. Droplets in
the top (Figure 2, right). mechanically agitated extractors will be smaller than those
in static extractors. The maximum stable droplet diameter
Selecting a solvent (DM) for static extractors can be calculated by:
Solvents used in liquid-liquid extraction are chosen to Π
achieve maximum transfer of the solute from the carrier DM = c
∆ρ g
(1)
into the solvent. They must not be completely miscible
with the carrier liquid and should have a high affinity for where c is the proportionality constant, P is the interfacial
the solute molecules. tension, Δρ is the difference between the two fluids’ densi-
An ideal solvent for liquid-liquid extraction will typically ties, and g is the gravitational constant.
have the following properties: The direction of mass transfer can influence the
• high solubility for the solute and low solubility for the behavior of liquid-liquid dispersions, thereby affecting the
carrier liquid proportionality constant in Eq. 1. The Marangoni effect (2)
• density difference vs. the carrier liquid greater than explains how mass transfer of solute from one phase to the
150 kg/m3 other creates interfacial tension gradients on the surface
• mid-level interfacial tension (5–30 dyne/cm)
• high resistance to thermal degradation Extract Raffinate
• nonreactive with other chemicals involved in the B + C (some A) A (some B + C)
extraction process
Coalescer
• high boiling point (for ease of material handling) Feed Section
• low viscosity (for ease of handling) A+C
Solvent
• nontoxic, nonflammable, and not corrosive to process B
equipment (for ease of handling)
• low cost. Mass-Transfer
Engineers usually choose several solvents for process Section Mass-Transfer
Section
development. Often, the solvent candidates violate one or
more of the criteria for an ideal solvent, so a comparison
study is required to identify the best solvent for a particular
application. Solvent Coalescer
B Section Feed
Dispersed-phase droplet size A+C
dispersed as droplets in the solvent. p Figure 2. Counter-current extraction units can be set up in one of two
In packed columns, it is generally desirable to disperse ways. Left: When the solvent is lighter than the carrier liquid, the solvent is
the inlet stream with the higher volumetric flowrate into introduced at the bottom of the column and the solute is carried up toward
the top of the extractor. Right: When the solvent is heavier than the carrier,
the continuous phase in order to maximize the interfacial
the solvent is introduced at the top of the column and the solute is carried
area for mass transfer. In agitated columns, the liquid phase downward by the solvent toward the bottom of the column. The red dots
with the lower volumetric flowrate is typically dispersed, represent the region in which the solute is transferred to the solvent.
Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) CEP November 2015 www.aiche.org/cep 23
Reactions and Separations
of the dispersed phase. Transfer of solute from the droplet with fixed components of the extractor.
outward into the continuous phase tends to create larger • Wake shedding can occur when small droplets flow
droplets and higher interfacial area of contact between the in the wake of larger droplets. Wake shedding can become
two phases, and is represented by a larger proportionality a problem at extremely high or extremely low volumetric
constant. Transfer of solute from the continuous phase into phase ratios.
the droplets tends to form smaller droplets and the propor- Extractors can be designed to minimize axial mixing.
tionality constant is smaller. The mass-transfer rate across This is done by dividing the mass-transfer section into
the droplet surface can also influence droplet behavior, smaller compartments to minimize deviations from plug-
with high flux rates causing the droplets to shatter. Figure 3 flow operation. Sieve plates, for example, act as horizontal
illustrates these effects. barriers that the liquid must pass through, establishing a
Mechanically agitated extractors add energy to the sys- uniform velocity profile downstream of each sieve plate.
tem to influence the droplet size and thereby generate suf- Structures can also be added to the extractor to divide it into
ficient interfacial area of contact between the two phases. vertical compartments — restricting horizontal movement.
The high shear rate produced by turbulent agitation breaks Figure 4 illustrates hydraulic axial mixing and the use of
the droplets into smaller droplets and distorts their shape. horizontal and vertical compartments to control this effect.
Equations have been developed to calculate the maximum
drop size for agitated liquid-liquid extraction (1). Flooding
The maximum flowrate through an extraction column
Axial mixing is limited by flooding. Hydraulic flooding occurs when the
Axial (longitudinal) mixing causes the extractor to two liquid streams can no longer uniformly flow counter-
deviate from ideal plug-flow operation. As a result of axial
Chaotic Flow Patterns
mixing, the dispersed phase and the continuous phase will
exhibit a range of residence times, which tends to reduce
the concentration driving force for mass transfer in the
column. Axial mixing can be a particular problem in large-
diameter extraction columns, because redistributors have
less profound effects in larger columns than they do in
small-diameter extractors.
Several mechanisms and conditions can lead to axial
mixing, including:
• Vessel walls or other fixed components can exert Vertical Barriers
frictional drag on the liquids and cause turbulent mixing.
• Nonuniform droplet size distribution in the contacting
section of the extractor can cause the extractor to deviate
from plug-flow operation.
• Chaotic eddy patterns can form when fluids interact
Horizontal Barriers
p Figure 3. The solute can move either outward from the droplets to the
continuous solvent phase, or inward from the continuous phase into the p Figure 4. Top: Several mechanisms can cause axial mixing, including
dispersed solvent. Left: The transfer of solute outward causes the droplets to chaotic flow patterns that develop in the mass-transfer contacting section.
grow and can cause them to shatter into smaller droplets. Right: The transfer of Axial mixing can be controlled by adding devices that divide the column
solute from the solvent into the droplets can create stable droplet surfaces. into vertical segments (center) or into horizontal segments (bottom).
24 www.aiche.org/cep November 2015 CEP Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
currently past one another. It is the point at which stable internals to improve liquid-liquid contact. The energy can
counter-current extraction is no longer possible. be supplied in several ways, including the use of bellows.
Several circumstances can cause flooding, including: Mechanical agitation. Mechanical agitation improves
excessive hold-up of the dispersed-phase droplets; the pres- liquid-liquid contact. Extractors with mechanical agitators
ence of very small droplets, which significantly increases generally have higher mass-transfer efficiency in smaller
the mass-transfer-contacting surface area; and excessive vessel sizes than static units. Although agitation can be
axial mixing. beneficial, it increases operating and investment costs. For
Dispersed-phase hold-up can indicate the presence and applications that require a high NTS or wide flexibility,
degree of flooding. During counter-current extractor opera- the benefits of mechanical agitation often justify the added
tion, dispersed-phase droplets are held up by the continuous expenditure.
phase that is flowing in the opposite direction. The pressure
drop over an extractor is essentially the hydrostatic head Phase equilibrium, pilot plant trials, and scale-up
of the dispersed and continuous phases. Information from The thermodynamic basis for liquid-liquid extraction
differential-pressure indicators (DPIs) can provide the aver- is phase equilibrium. Determining mechanical equilibrium
age fluid densities between two DPI taps. Knowledge of the and thermal equilibrium are straightforward and linked to
dispersed and continuous fluid densities can then be used to process parameters — pressure (mechanical) and tempera-
estimate the dispersed-phase hold-up. ture (thermal). On the other hand, chemical equilibrium
The velocity of the dispersed-phase droplets relative to (chemical potential), which is the most important parameter
the continuous phase is related to the volumetric flowrate in designing extraction units, is not easy to determine.
of the dispersed and continuous phases. Those relative Chemical potential is difficult to ascertain because it
velocities and flowrates are published in various textbooks cannot be directly measured. Existing models describing
and references (e.g., Ref. 1) and are not repeated here. chemical equilibrium (e.g., NRTL or UNIQUAC) are not
appropriate for extraction, because extraction involves at
Equipment selection guidelines least three components and the equilibrium is established
Extraction equipment falls into three general categories: between two immiscible liquid phases.
units with static internals, units with pulsation, and units with Liquid-liquid equilibrium is very sensitive to the pres-
mechanical agitation. Table 1 compares the relative efficien- ence of trace components and surfactants. Such molecules
cies, capacities, and costs of the various types of extractors. can accumulate at the liquid-liquid interface and signifi-
Static internals. Extractors with static internals (pack- cantly impact chemical equilibrium. Models cannot typi-
ing or trays) generally require liquids with a density dif- cally predict the effects of impurities, because the effects
ference that exceeds 50 kg/m3 and difference in interfacial are so dependent on the type of impurity. Laboratory and
tension that exceeds 5 dyne/cm in order to effectively pilot-scale testing is, therefore, mandatory for developing
disperse one liquid in the other. Static devices are typically new liquid-liquid extraction processes.
selected for applications that require a low number of theo- A common mixing test known as the shake test can be
retical stages (NTSs), generally five or fewer. The invest- performed in a laboratory to determine the chemical equilib-
ment and operating costs for static devices are typically rium of the liquids to be used in the extraction process. In a
lower than those for mechanical agitation. shake test, the carrier liquid containing the solute is mixed
Pulsation. Energy in the form of pulses can be added with the solvent in a stirred flask for a specified amount of
to one of the liquid streams in an extractor with static time. After the mixing stops, the two phases separate by
gravity settling and can be subsequently analyzed.
Table 1. When choosing a type of extractor, The solute concentration in both liquids is the most
consider efficiency, capacity, and costs. important parameter to measure after the test is com-
Type Efficiency Capacity Costs pleted. However, the concentrations of each liquid within
Static Extractors Low to High Low
the other liquid are also important, as they relate to the
Medium mutual solubility of the carrier and the solvent. The mea-
sured composition of each phase represents the chemical
Mixer-Settler High Low High
Extractors equilibrium for the temperature and pressure at which the
test was performed. Because the test is conducted with the
Pulsed Static Medium Medium Medium
Extractors actual carrier liquid, solute, and solvent, the measured data
account for the effects of trace impurities.
Stirred Extractors High Medium Medium
The shake test should be repeated for several solute
Centrifugal Extractors High Low High
concentrations to cover the entire concentration range that
Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) CEP November 2015 www.aiche.org/cep 25
Reactions and Separations
26 www.aiche.org/cep November 2015 CEP Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
are susceptible to axial mixing, which generally prevents In general, beds of random packing are limited to a
them from achieving more than 1 NTS of separation. maximum depth of 2.4–3 m, and they require remixing
Static mixers are fixed devices installed in a pipe to with a disperser or support plates to minimize the effects of
continuously blend the two immiscible fluids. This type of axial mixing.
internal device is typically used for co-current extractors or Structured packing (Figures 8–10, sidebar), which
for a battery of mixer-settlers. Co-current extractors include is geometrically organized, and random packing (which
a settler downstream of the mixing section to separate the is loose), perform the same function. Both minimize the
two liquids. effects of axial mixing by preventing side-to-side flow and
Random packing (Figure 7) in the extractor contact- promoting vertical flow in the contacting section.
ing section helps to control axial mixing. The movement Sieve trays are simple metal plates uniformly perforated
of droplets across the packing surfaces induces turbulence with round holes (Figure 11) that remix and redistribute
inside and outside of the droplets, which accelerates mass the dispersed phase, as shown in Figure 12. The dispersed
transfer. The phase ratio (ratio of the volumetric flowrate droplets coalesce when they reach the sieve tray deck, and
of the dispersed phase to that of the continuous phase) in droplets form as the dispersed phase flows through the
water wash and treater columns with random packing can holes. Sieve hole diameters are 3–8 mm for most applica-
be 0.5–8, while in chemical plant extraction applications, tions, although trays with holes up to 12 mm in diameter
the phase ratio is typically 0.5–5. are available for applications susceptible to fouling. Reli-
Random packing is commonly used to remove contami- able tray efficiencies can be achieved for liquids with an
nants (H2S or CO2) and other chemicals (amines or metha- interfacial tension of 5–45 dynes/cm.
nol) from natural gas liquid (NGL) and liquidified petroleum Sieve trays can handle phase ratios of 0.5–30; trays
gas (LPG) streams. with specialized downcomers can handle phase ratios up
Structured Packing
Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) CEP November 2015 www.aiche.org/cep 27
Reactions and Separations
p Figure 12. Left: In a simple one-pass sieve tray column with downcomers,
the light phase (orange) is dispersed and the heavy phase (yellow) flows through
the downcomers. Right: In a sieve-tray column with upcomers, the heavy phase
(yellow) is dispersed, and the light continuous phase (orange) flows through the
upcomers.
28 www.aiche.org/cep November 2015 CEP Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Mechanically agitated extraction equipment wide range of operating conditions, and can have signifi-
Alternatively, energy can be added to the extraction cantly higher separation performance at high throughput
unit through mechanical agitation. References 6–8 provide than RDCs, simple spray columns, and pulsed sieve plate
general overviews of agitated extraction columns. columns (10).
Mechanically agitated extractors operate in a similar The Kühni column is also well-known for being adapt-
way to a rotating disc contactor (RDC). The column is able; it can employ internals that handle high mass transfer
divided into compartments; each compartment has a mix- and cope with changing liquid physical properties (11). The
ing element, all of which are mounted on a common shaft. geometrical details of each compartment can be modified
In the RDC column, the mixing element is a disc and the to enable the column to compensate for varying conditions
power of the shaft is transferred, via frictional forces, from over the height of the column and to produce a uniform
the surface of the turning discs to the fluids. This has a droplet size and hold-up profile, which is beneficial for col-
very low efficiency. Moreover, to avoid the formation of a umn performance and reliable scale-up.
dead zone in the center of the column, the diameter of the Figure 14 shows internal devices for a Kühni col-
shaft on which the rotating discs are mounted is limited to umn, which are available in metal or corrosion-resistant
certain sizes. internals.
Research is ongoing to improve the efficiency of RDC
columns, with developments such as a modified shaft design, General extractor design
for example (9). Once the mass-transfer device has been chosen, the
Modern agitated columns provide more design flex- rest of the extraction unit must be designed. An important
ibility and achieve higher separation performance than the consideration is controlling the location of the interface
first agitated columns (i.e., the so called RDC columns) (4). between the dispersed and continuous phases, especially
For example, the agitated Kühni column can be used for a in the phase-separation section, where the dispersed phase
Table 2. The internals of an extraction column facilitate the distribution of the dispersed and continuous phases
and the contact between the two fluids for mass transfer.
Extractor Device Benefits Possible Risks and Limitations
Spray Columns High volumetric throughput Susceptible to axial mixing, which can lower the
Simple vessel design (inexpensive) mass-transfer efficiency
Can handle severe fouling Generally limited to one NTS
Random Packing Excellent for 2 < NTS < 5 Can have poor efficiency for phase ratios greater
High performance when used with multiple beds than 8
and dispersers Generally limited to fewer than 5 NTS
Structured Packing Some have high volumetric throughput and can Some can have poor efficiency for phase ratios
handle moderate fouling greater than 8 and are generally limited to fewer
Some can achieve excellent stage efficiency than 5 NTS
Some are susceptible to fouling
One-Pass Sieve Trays Good for 2 < NTS < 8 Flow-path length restricts the extractor diameter
Good hydraulics for phase ratios less than 70 Limitations for multipass design
Sieve trays with extruded holes can handle fouling
Disc-and-Donut and Can handle fouling Can have poor tray efficiency
Side-by-Side Baffle Trays Can be designed for large-diameter extractors
Shell HiFi Extractor Trays Higher capacity than simple sieve trays Higher capital costs than conventional one-pass
High tray efficiency due to minimal hold-up and sieve trays and large side-by-side baffle trays
crossflow mixing
Can be easily scaled up with multipass buckets
Kühni Column Mechanical agitation can provide a significant Higher capital costs than most other static
improvement in capacity and efficiency extractors
Can reliably provide NTS > 20 for many applications
Pilot-plant testing is very representative of full-scale
operation of this column
Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) CEP November 2015 www.aiche.org/cep 29
Reactions and Separations
coalesces. The phase-separation section is located at the made in distillation has stemmed from work coming out of
end of the vessel opposite the carrier stream inlet. The ves- independent research organizations, such as Fractionation
sel height is specified to include the mass-transfer section, Research, Inc. An equivalent organization does not exist
as well as the height for the feed section and the coalescer for liquid-liquid extraction. As a consequence, extraction
section. Typically, the feed nozzle is located 300–500 mm technology has been developed by the equipment compa-
from the mass-transfer section. nies that provide proprietary extractor technologies. Many
Fluctuations in the location of the interface should be modern extractors are developed through collaboration
controlled so that the coalescing section is always in the zone between clients and the proprietors under nondisclosure
where the raffinate phase (the carrier liquid without the solute) agreements, and those designs are generally not dissemi-
is located. The liquid volume in the coalescer section should nated in the public literature. CEP
30 www.aiche.org/cep November 2015 CEP Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)