Packed Column Extractor (Solvent Extraction) Equipment Solvent extraction is the most efficient method of separation of valuable products
from complex feeds or reaction products. The solvent extraction equipment will be used to separate the insoluble composition of the coconut shells. The coconut shell is contacted with a solvent which is ethanol to separate the ethanol-insoluble components, the cellulosic materials. The xylose will be recovered for the production of furfural. The solvent extraction equipment will be operated at 2530 C and 1 atm pressure. Solvent extraction equipment will also be used for the purification process to separate the ethanol-soluble components, water and furfural, from the remaining non-soluble components such as lignin, ash, sodium sulfate, and unhydrolyzed pentosan.
From Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering 6th Edition by Warren Mc Cabe, Julian Smith and Peter Harriott (2001) pages 747-769 The liquid-liquid extraction process, also called solvent extraction is the most effective alternative for separation of impurities which utilizes chemical differences instead of vapor pressure differences. When it comes to separation processes, the choice is usually distillation, in spite the fact that cooling and heating is needed. While in the extraction equipment, the solvent is usually recovered for reuse by distillation, and the combined operation is more complicated and expensive. However, the advantage of extraction is that it offers flexibility in choice of operating conditions, since the type of solvent can be varied as well as the operating temperature.
From
Solvent
Extraction
Separations
(Appendix
A)
Retrieved
from:
http://jol.liljenzin.se/KAPITEL/APP-A.PDF For reprocessing, the equipment must be highly reliable, have high stage efficiency, short contact times, small liquid inventory (hold-up), are easy to decontaminate and to service, and not least be safe against criticality. High reliability usually means simple design and few (if any moving parts). The packed columns meet these requirements. They are simply long columns (often 10-20 meters with a diameter of 0.3-3 meters) filled with small pieces of material obstructing a straight flow through the column, which is by gravity. However, high stage efficiency requires mechanical agitation of the two phases and clean phase separation, which cannot be met by packed columns.
From Process Optimization of Furfural Production from Cellulosic Biomass with Simultaneous Solvent Extraction by Zhang T., et al., Retrieved from:
http://apps.aiche.org/Proceedings/Abstract.aspx?PaperID=235051 Furfural is currently produced by hydrolysis and dehydration of woody crops and bagasse, however, its yields are currently limited by its simultaneous degradation to undesired products due to presence of acid in aqueous phase. The furfural degradation could be largely avoided by its simultaneous extraction by an appropriate solvent. Similar approaches of simultaneous organic solvent extraction were used for furfural production from lignocellulosic biomass. Various approaches to enhance yields were undertaken and that includes the direct furfural production and simultaneous extraction from cellulosic biomass, and the hemicelluloses extraction followed by furfural production with simultaneous extraction.
Sources: Books: McCabe, W.L., Smith, J.C., Harriot, P. (2001). Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, 6th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Internet Sources: Process Optimization of Furfural Production from Cellulosic Biomass with Simultaneous Solvent Extraction by Zhang T., et al., Retrieved on February 4, 2012 from
http://apps.aiche.org/Proceedings/Abstract.aspx?PaperID=235051 Solvent Extraction Separations (Appendix A) Retrieved on February 4, 2012 from http://jol.liljenzin.se/KAPITEL/APP-A.PDF
