HOLLOW FIBER SOLVENT-EXTRACTION - PERFORMANCES AND DESIGN

Dispersion-free solvent extraction from an actual process stream has been studied using microporous hydrophobic polypropylene Celgard® hollow fiber membranes in Liqui-CelTM modules. Simultaneous extraction of two solute species from the same stream has been investigated using different hollow fiber modules with different packing fractions, surface areas and membrane types. Very high solute recoveries have been achieved in modules only 15 cm long. Mass transfer performances of a single module and modules-in-series have been characterized. For tube-side controlled extraction, mass transfer correlations are valid for a variety of modules suggesting easy scale-up. Experimentally obtained height of transfer unit (HTU) values as low as 3 cm suggest new perspectives in contacting equipment. A long term extraction study using a prototype module indicated no performance deterioration over 64 days. Alternate design strategies for extraction from a large scale stream have been analyzed. © 1990.