University at Buffalo

Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

CIE 340: Environmental Engineering J.N. Jensen, Fall 2021

Guide to Mass Balances

Interactive Material

1. Class and recitation

2. Textbook: Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6
3. Course videos: Introduction to Mass Balances, Hydrodynamics and Mass Balances, and Mass Balance
Applications

Summary

General mass balance statement:

𝑑(𝑉𝐶)
General: 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑄in 𝐶in − 𝑄out 𝐶out + 𝑉𝑟(𝐶)
𝑑𝐶
For constant volume and first-order disappearance: 𝑉 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑄in 𝐶in − 𝑄out 𝐶out − 𝑉𝑘𝐶

Steady state:
Accumulation rate = 0

Batch reactor:
No flow, well mixed
Non-steady-state solution: C = C0e–kt

Continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR):

Flow, well mixed
Cout = C
𝐶in 𝑉
Steady-state solution: 𝐶 = 1+𝑘𝜃 where: 𝜃 = 𝑄

Plug flow reactor (PFR):

Flow, no mixing
Steady-state solution: C = Cine–kθ

Flow is additive only if fluid densities are constant

Worked Problems

See text: Practice Problems: Control Volumes, Conservation Laws, Mass Balances, and Reactor Engineering

The following problems were taken or adopted from Introduction to Environmental Engineering and
Science, by Masters and Ely, 3rd edition. Solutions and drawings are by JNJ.
Problem
(Masters and Ely, Problem 1.6) Wastewater is discharged to a river. Flows are 5 million gallons per day (mgd)
for the wastewater and 10 mgd for the river. The pollutant is conservative (non-reactive) with a concentration of
10 mg/L in the wastewater and 3 mg/L in the river upstream of the discharge.

A. Find the concentration just downstream of mixing.

B. Calculate the lb/d of pollutant in the river after mixing.

Solution
QR, C R Q, C
Design sketch:
QW, CW

This is a mixing problem.

𝑑𝐶
Mass balance on pollutant: 𝑉 𝑑𝑡 = (𝑄𝑅 𝐶𝑅 + 𝑄𝑊 𝐶𝑊 ) − 𝑄𝐶 = 0 at steady state
Note: No reaction in mixing, since control volume is so small
𝑄 𝐶 +𝑄 𝐶
So: C = 𝑅 𝑅 𝑄 𝑊 𝑊
𝑑𝜌
Mass balance on water: 𝑉 𝑑𝑡 = (𝑄𝑅 𝜌𝑅 + 𝑄𝑊 𝜌𝑊 ) − 𝑄𝜌 = 0
If ρW = ρW = ρ, then Q = QR + QW = 10 mgd + 5 mgd = 15 mgd
mg mg
𝑄𝑅 𝐶𝑅 +𝑄𝑊 𝐶𝑊 (10 mgd)(3 )+(5 mgd)(10 )
L L
So: C = Plugging in values: C = = 5.3 mg/L
𝑄𝑅 +𝑄𝑊 15 mgd

lb/d = mass per time = QC

Plugging in values and conversion factors:
mass flow = (15×106 gal/d)(5.3×10–3 g/L)(3.78 L/gal)/(454 g/lb) = 662 lb/d

Problem
(Masters and Ely, Problem 1.8) A washing machine has a volume of 50 L. A mass of 0.5 g of detergent is added
for a 5-minute wash cycle. The detergent decays with a rate constant of 0.12 min–1. Find the concentration at the
end of the wash cycle.

Solution
This is a batch reactor
𝑑𝐶
Mass balance on pollutant: 𝑉 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑘𝑉𝐶 = 0 at steady state
Solving as per class and text: C = C0e–kt
0.5 g
C0 = 50 L = 0.01 g/L = 10 mg/L
mg −1 )(5 min)
Plugging in: 𝐶 = (10 )e−(0.12 min = 5.5 mg/L
L

Problem
(Masters and Ely, Problem 1.11) A lake (volume: 10 million m3) contains flow from a river (subscript R) and
from a factory (subscript F). The pollutant of interest disappears with a rate constant of 0.25 d–1. Find the exit
concentration at steady state.
 QR = 50 m3/s Q=?
CR = 0 C=?

QF = 5 m3/s
CF = 100 mg/L

Solution
Use CSTR at steady state model
𝑑𝐶
Mass balance on pollutant: 𝑉 𝑑𝑡 = (𝑄𝑅 𝐶𝑅 + 𝑄𝐹 𝐶𝐹 ) − 𝑄𝐶 − 𝑉𝑘𝐶 = 0
𝑄𝑅 𝐶𝑅 +𝑄𝐹 𝐶𝐹
Solve for C: 𝐶 = (*)
𝑄+𝑉𝑘
From a mass balance on water: QRρR + QFρF = Qρ
If ρR + ρF = ρ, then Q = QR + QF = 5 + 50 = 55 m3/s
k = (0.25 1/d)(1/24 d/hr)(1/3600 hr/s) = 2.89×10–6 s–1
Plugging into (*): C = 6.0 mg/L

Problem
(Masters and Ely, Problem 1.12) Find C1 and C2 at steady state for the system below, with a first-order decay
constant of 0.3 d–1. Both basins are well mixed and at steady state.

C1 = ? C2 = ?
Q = 1 mgd
Cin = 20 mg/L
V1 = 5 MG V2 = 3 MG
MG = million gallons
mgd = million gallons per day

Solution
𝐶in 𝐶1 𝑉 𝑉
Both are CSTRs at steady state, so 𝐶1 = 1+𝑘𝜃 and 𝐶2 = 1+𝑘𝜃 where 𝜃1 = 𝑄1 and 𝜃2 = 𝑄2
1 2
Plugging in values: C1 = 8.0 mg/L and C2 = 4.2 mg/L

Problem
(Masters and Ely, Problem 1.14) A pipe (3,400 ft long, 3 ft in diameter) receives a flow of 10,000 gal/min.
Ozone is introduced at the head of the pipe. Find the required ozone dose (Cin). Experiments were conducted in
batch with the following result: The ozone concentration decreased by 50% in 12 min.

Solution
Use a plug flow reactor at steady state model: C = Cine–kθ
1
k: In batch 𝐶 = 𝐶0 𝑒 −𝑘𝑡1/2 = 2 𝐶0
ln 2 ln 2
t1/2 = = 12 min−1 = 0.058 min–1
𝑘

𝜋𝐷 2 𝐿 𝜋(3 ft)2
V: V= = (3,400 ft) = 24,033 ft3
4 4
 Q: Q = (10,0000 gal/min)(1/7.48 ft3/gal) = 1337 ft3/min

θ: θ = V/Q = (24,033 ft3)/(1337 ft3/min) = 18.0 min

Cin = Cekθ Plug in values to get 2.8 mg/L

Math Help
𝑑𝐶
Here’s the math on the batch reactor: : = −𝑘𝐶
𝑑𝑡
Put all the dependent variables (C) on one side and all the independent variables (t) on the other:
𝑑𝐶
= −𝑘𝑑𝑡
𝐶
𝐶 𝑑𝐶 𝑡
Now integrate: ∫𝐶 = ∫0 −𝑘𝑑𝑡
0 𝐶
𝐶
So: ln 𝐶 = −𝑘𝑡
0
Now exponentiate both side: C = C0e–kt
𝑑𝐶
For a CSTR: 𝑉 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑄𝐶in − 𝑄𝐶 − 𝑉𝑘𝐶
𝑑𝐶 1 1
Divide through by V: 𝑑𝑡 = 𝜃 𝐶in − (𝜃 + 𝑘) 𝐶
If you’ve taken differential equations, you can solve this using an integrating factor.
Or just use the approach above:
𝑑𝐶
1 1 = 𝑑𝑡
𝐶 −( +𝑘)𝐶
𝜃 in 𝜃

1
Multiply through by − (𝜃 + 𝑘):
1
−( +𝑘)𝑑𝐶 1
𝜃
1 1 = − (𝜃 + 𝑘) 𝑑𝑡
𝐶 −( +𝑘)𝐶
𝜃 in 𝜃

𝑑𝑢 1 1
Now the integral is of the form: ∫ , with 𝑢 = 𝜃 𝐶in − (𝜃 + 𝑘) 𝐶
𝑢
Integrate:
1
𝐶 −( +𝑘)𝑑𝐶 𝑡 1
∫𝐶 1 𝜃 1 = ∫0 − (𝜃 + 𝑘) 𝑑𝑡
0 𝐶in −( +𝑘)𝐶
𝜃 𝜃
1 1
𝐶in −( +𝑘)𝐶 1
𝜃 𝜃
So: ln 1 1 = − (𝜃 + 𝑘) 𝑡
𝐶in −( +𝑘)𝐶0
𝜃 𝜃

Exponentiate:
1
1 1 1 1
𝐶 − (𝜃 + 𝑘) 𝐶 = [𝜃 𝐶in − (𝜃 + 𝑘) 𝐶0 ] 𝑒 −(𝜃+𝑘)𝑡
𝜃 in

Solve for C:
1 1 1
𝐶 𝐶
𝐶= 𝜃 in
1 + [𝐶0 − 𝜃 in
1 ] 𝑒 −(𝜃+𝑘)𝑡
( +𝑘) ( +𝑘)
𝜃 𝜃
Simplify:
𝒕
𝑪𝐢𝐧 𝑪𝐢𝐧
𝑪= + [𝑪𝟎 − ] 𝒆−(𝟏+𝒌𝜽)𝜽
𝟏+𝒌𝜽 𝟏+𝒌𝜽

You can verify that C goes to C0 as t goes to 0.

𝐶in
Also, C goes to the steady-state solution, 1+𝑘𝜃 , as t goes to infinity.