Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sulzer Liquid Liquid Extraction Technology
Sulzer Liquid Liquid Extraction Technology
0610 4501
Liquid-Liquid Extraction Technology at Sulzer Chemtech
Sulzer Chemtech, a member of the Sulzer Corporation, with headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland, is active in the field of process
engineering, employing 3’000 persons worldwide. Sulzer Chemtech is represented in all important industrial countries setting standards
in the field of mass transfer and static mixing with its advanced and economical solutions.
Sulzer Chemtech is organized into four business units, one of which is the Process Technology group. This business unit was formed in
early 2009 following the acquisition of Kühni, a Swiss company with more than 75 years experience in innovative separation processes.
Today, Sulzer Chemtech Process Technology is headquartered in Allschwil (Basel), Switzerland. We provide a unique and wide portfolio
of separation and application technologies, amongst which liquid-liquid extraction.
0611 4503-1
2
Overview of Equipment
Our liquid-liquid extraction is a technically sophisticated separation technology, offering you a solution where other tech-
nologies are uneconomical or even not feasible
3
Agitated Kühni Column ECR
4
Packed Column ECP
Basic and Mechanical Design Liquid Distributors amplitude) of 800 to 1200 mm/min. Such
pulsators are available as standard items
The ECP packed column is based on In order to create an even flow profile at and are used with our packed extraction
the current state-of-the-art extraction re- either end of the packed bed, both liquid columns.
search. The column consists of a packed phases are distributed over the whole
bed, distributors for the two liquid phases cross sectional area by suitable distribu-
and, optionally, a pulsator. tors. The design of the dispersed phase
Advantages and Characteristics
distributor requires special attention, in Based on the special design of the pack-
Packing order to achieve a narrow droplet size dis- ing and liquid distributors, the ECP col-
tribution. umn has a number of advantages:
The special Sulzer extraction packing re-
duces the back-mixing of the continuous If the column is operated without energy • High specific throughput resulting in:
phase, thus providing nearly plug flow input (unpulsed), the packed extraction -Small column diameters
conditions and a narrow droplet size dis- column is a simple item of equipment
-Revamp options of existing columns to
tribution. Both are necessary to achieve without any special mechanical features
increase capacity
high throughput and high efficiency. To fur- and free of moving parts. Often, however,
ther increase the separation performance, the liquid has to be pulsed to increase • Capable to deal with challenging physi-
additional dual flow plates can be inserted the separation performance and provide cal properties:
between the packing elements. a further control parameter for changing -Low density difference < 50 kg/m3
operating conditions. Pulsators are typi- -Low interfacial tension < 2 mN/m
cally specified with intensities (frequency
-Tendency to form emulsions
• Reliable scale-up
• Standard turndown 1 : 2
• Column diameter: 50 mm - 5.6 m
• Physical properties:
-Density difference > 30 kg/m3
-Viscosity up to 100 mPas
-Interfacial tension > 1 mN/m
• Materials:
-Metals
-PTFE, PVDF, PFA
5
Mixer-Settler EMS and Mixer-Settler-Columns ECMS
0612 4506-2
6
Selection of Equipment
The right choice of equipment is important for a stable operation and optimal performance
Correct Selection of Equipment • Criteria in favor of a packed column: uously innovate our extraction technology,
-High throughput with particular attention to the following
The correct selection of the type of extrac- two areas: miniplant and modeling.
tor is an important step in every extrac- -Limited number of stages required
tion project. Various selection aids, such -No moving parts desired
as decision trees, point score tables, and
Miniplant and Modeling
diagrams can be found in the literature. All Additional Criteria The continuous improvement of miniplant
extractors have one behavior in common: technology on the one hand, and the
the efficiency of the extraction is linked to When examining economic aspects, re- mathematical modeling of extraction col-
the specific capacity. Basically, the selec- liability is an important factor. Delayed umns with population balance or Monte-
tion of equipment should be made using commissioning, non-performance, down- Carlo methods on the other hand are
process and economic criteria. However, time due to equipment failure lead to loss merging at the same time.
this can be difficult at the beginning of of production and may bring substantial
costs to rectify. Therefore, besides pure With the help of these complex models
a project when without testing the type
technical criteria, the experience and reli- and small laboratory scale droplet experi-
and size of the extractor required are not
ability of Sulzer Chemtech as technology ments it is possible to predict the perfor-
known.
partner are important attributes. When mance of extraction columns in pilot scale
cooperating with us, you will find a part- in specific cases. This method can be
Process Related Criteria used to reduce the effort in pilot trials as
ner with outstanding test facilities and
The agitated ECR column with its inherent numerous reference applications in liquid- basis for the optimized design of an ex-
flexibility and wide operating range is the liquid-extraction in the field. Our state- traction column and therefore, reduces
most suitable extractor for the majority of of-the-art equipment and proven scale- both costs and time-to-market.
cases. Exceptions and special applica- up procedures, in combination with our Future developments are expected to
tions, which require a different type of ex- highly skilled employees will provide you extend the application of this method to
tractor, can be identified with a few criteria a process solution with guaranteed per- the scale-up of industrial size columns. It
that are easily checked: formance. would then only be necessary to establish
• Necessity of stage-wise contact the model parameters, with the help of
• Requirement for a residence
Outlook small laboratory measuring cells. We in-
time > 15 min tensely participate in and support this field
Research in the field of liquid-liquid extrac-
of research within our own test center and
• Criteria in favor of a mixer-settler: tion continues with great effort. We contin-
by our cooperations with both industrial
-Density difference < 50 kg/m3 and university partners.
Sections of pilot columns
-Interfacial tension < 2 mN/m
-Tendency to form emulsions
-Low number of theoretical stages
Feed Feed
continuous dispersed
0611 5407
7
Feasibility Study and Trials
Your optimal process solution is guaranteed by our design based on pilot trials in our state-of-the-art test center, and our
extensive know-how on our liquid-liquid extraction technology
Optimal Process Solution • Mass balance, including concentrations Rental equipment is available for tests on
• Physical properties (density, interfacial your premises. If required, we can provide
In spite of considerable progress in the you assistance and training for such in-
research and development of liquid-liquid tension, viscosity)
house tests.
extraction technology, it is still not possible • Liquid-liquid equilibrium data
to design an extractor from first principles. The miniplant size extractor ECR 32 is well
Therefore, a systematic test method is Lab and Pilot Trials suited for miniplant piloting of complete
very important. We offer you decades of processes including recycle streams. This
Laboratory or pilot plant trials are neces- small-scale unit proves the feasibility of
relevant experience to call upon, including
sary to secure the correct design of ex- the proposed solution and generates pre-
the necessary test methods and facilities,
traction equipment. We undertake these liminary scale-up data while requiring only
incorporating various laboratory and pilot
to establish optimal operating conditions, a minimum amount of feed material.
plant equipment.
and, depending on the extractor type, the
The design of an extractor is carried out in most favorable geometric parameters
four steps: (size and type of internals). Successful
trials allow us to safely scale-up to an in-
• Execution of a feasibility study
dustrial size unit, and to provide you full
• Generation of basic data process guarantees. We are capable of
• Pilot trials carrying out all testing, including estab-
• Scale-up and design lishing missing physical properties, in our
own test center. At this location we have
the following test extraction equipment
Feasibility Study and Basic Data
available:
The success of an extractive separation
• Extraction columns:
step depends largely on finding a suitable
extractant. In many cases, based on our -Agitated columns with diameter 32, 60,
experience we are able to propose such 150 mm
Agitated liquid-liquid extraction column
a solvent. However, for new processes, a -Packed columns with diameter 50 and in pilot scale
professional and analytical screening of 150 mm
suitable solvents is required. The feasibility -Shell: glass
of the selected extraction process is then
often confirmed in a mini-plant test run. -Internals: SS316L, hastelloy, titanium,
zirconium, PP and PVDF
In the next step, basic data are estab- • Mixer-settlers:
lished which are used as input for subse-
quent pilot trials and also permit a prelimi- -Tube type mixer-settlers
nary sizing of the extractor. These basic -Total volume per stage: 70 ml – 15 l
data include: -Material: glass / SS316L
0612 4504
8
Design, Fabrication and Delivery of Equipment
Our extensive experience in design and fabrication in our modern workshops ensures top quality extraction units at your
service
0611 4507
9
Application and Processes
The following examples give you a taste of our collection of successful applications
Sulzer extractors are successfully applied Wet Purification of Phosphoric geometry of the extraction column inter-
in every segment of the process industry: Acid nals.
• Bulk chemical industry You can find Sulzer extraction columns
Pure, food-grade phosphoric acid is cur-
• Petroleum industry in several other processes for removal of
rently almost exclusively produced using
polycyclic aromatics out of oil streams, in
• Fine chemical industry the so-called wet process. This process
both production and recycling.
• Pharmaceutical industry includes three extraction steps with a
scrubbing stage in the middle to remove
• Biotech industry
impurities. Our extensive and specific ex- Purification of Organic Acids
• Food industry perience covers a multitude of large col-
Dilute aqueous carboxylic and sulphonic
• Hydrometallurgy umns installed worldwide.
acids can be concentrated and purified
with the help of liquid-liquid extraction. A
Standard Processes Extraction of Aromatics classic example is the recovery of acetic
acid from streams with concentrations of
On the basis of decades of both experi- Two agitated ECR columns are used in
5-50 wt%. Higher acids are recovered by
ence and in-house development, we the IFP process for recovery of aromatics
reactive extraction with amines, which ex-
have acquired our own detailed process (benzene, toluene, xylene) from hydrocar-
tract the acid by forming reactive bonds.
know-how for many classic liquid-liquid bon mixtures. In the first column of this
An example is the extraction of lactic acid
extraction applications. As a result of this, process the extraction is carried out with
following the fermentation process.
in some specific applications, our Sulzer DMSO, combined with a backwash. The
extractors are used almost exclusively. extreme profiles of flow rate and physical
Below we give you an overview of a few properties require a high flexibility in the
typical applications where our extraction
solutions are used. Loading of a Sulzer Chemtech modular system for recovery of solvents and purification
Solvent Recovery
Many standard processes for the separa-
tion and recovery of various solvents in-
clude extraction:
• Recovery of high-boiling, organic com-
ponents, in low concentrations, from in-
dustrial wastewaters (for example, DMF
and phenol)
• Breaking of azeotropes (for example,
pyridine/water)
• Removal of water-soluble components
from a complex solvent mixture (for ex-
ample, ethanol, methanol and IPA)
Cooling water
Condenser
Decanter
10
Application and Processes
Client Specific Applications
We jointly develop your process solution and tailor our extraction technology to your needs
Part of an extraction column on a truck Glass-lined column shell with PVDF internals
11
Liquid-Liquid Extraction Technology
www.sulzer.com
0610 4501