Extraction in systems with increased viscosity
Change from fossil-based feedstock to bio-based raw materials in chemical industry will lead to changes in the molecular structure of reagents and products. The oxygen content in bio-based feedstock is higher as compared to fossil starting material. Processing a component, which contains significant fractions of oxygen on molecular level, will lead to intermediates and products rich in oxygen as well. Consequently, stronger molecular interactions due to polar interactions and hydrogen bonding will be present in mixtures. This in turn will lead to lower vapor pressures and higher viscosity of the systems. These changes in material properties need to be taken into account in process and equipment design.
The goal of this project is to extend the capabilities of ReDrop to account for the challenges described above resulting from the foreseeable shift towards bio-based feedstock. At first, the increased viscosity is to be considered, where the different models have to be validated and further developed, e.g. on sedimentation and mass transfer. Validation of the models will be performed with single-drop experiments. Sedimentation velocity and mass transfer occurring in a single drop will be investigated with a single-drop cell, where the central part consists of a conical glass tube used to levitate the drop by a counterflow of continuous phase. These validated models are then integrated into ReDrop and validated on pilot-plant scale. Finally also validation with a system of industrial relevance will be performed.
ReDrop also needs to be optimized, even if major portions of the existing code can be reused. A challenging task to which ReDrop will then be applied is e.g. in-situ extraction from fermentation broth where product removal needs to be performed to avoid product inhibition. Design of such kind of processes with ReDrop is a big challenge and can open interesting perspectives for separation-process design.
