2022 1st semester, Calculations in Chemical Engineering, 2nd exam (60 min)

Student number: Name:

(15) 1. A limestone is composed of CaCO3 (85%), MgCO3 (3%) and unreactive (12%). By heating the
limestone, you recover oxides that together are known as lime. MW of CaCO3, MgCO3, CaO, MgO,
and CO2 are 100, 84, 56, 40, and 44.

a. How many pounds of calcium oxide can be made from 1 ton of this limestone?

b. How many pounds of CO2 can be recovered per pound of limestone?

c. How many pounds of limestone are needed to make 1 ton of lime?

(15) 2. Formaldehyde (CH2O) is produced industrially by the catalytic oxidation of methanol (CH3OH)
by the following reaction:

CH3OH +1/2O2 → CH2O + H2O (1)

Unfortunately, under the conditions used to produce formaldehyde at a profitable rate, a significant
portion of the formaldehyde can react with oxygen to produce CO and H2O:

CH2O+1/2O2 → CO + H2O (2)

Assume that methanol and twice the stoichiometric amount of air needed for complete oxidation
of the CH3OH are fed to the reactor, that 90% conversion of the methanol results, and that a 75%
yield of formaldehyde occurs (based on the theoretical production of CH 2O by Reaction (1)).
Determine the molar composition (mol%) of the product gas leaving the reactor.
(15) 3. Barite (entirely composed of BaSO4) is fused (reacted in the solid state) in a crucible with
coke (composed of 94% C and 6% ash). The ash does not react. The final fusion mass of 193.7 g is
removed from the crucible, analyzed, and found to have the following composition:

Components MW %
BaSO4 233 11.1
BaS 169 72.8
C 12 13.9
Ash - 2.2
The gas evolved from the crucible does not smell, indicating the absence of sulfur dioxide, and
contains 1.13 g O per 1 g C. What was the mass ratio of BaSO 4 to C (excluding the ash) in the
reactants put into the crucible?
(15) 4. Cyclohexane (C6H12) can be made by the reaction of benzene with hydrogen according to
the following reaction: C6H6 + 3H2 → C6H12. For the process below, determine the ratio of the recycle
stream to the fresh feed stream if the overall of benzene is 95% and the single-pass conversion
through the reactor is 20%. Assume that 20% excess hydrogen is used in the fresh feed, and that
the composition of the recycle stream is 22.74 mol% benzene and 78.26 mol% hydrogen.