International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3050-3053

© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

Numerical Simulation Study for Leaching of Potash Salt Using Cocoa Pod
Husk as the Basic Raw Material

Daniel Owusu Asante

Department of Chemical Engineering, Kongju National University,
Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.

Manish Pokhrel
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kongju National University,
Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.

Jungho Cho
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Kongju National University,
Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.

Abstract
Potash plays a very key component in the chemical industry
and the demands keep soaring. Considering the demand for
potash from organic sources, cocoa pod husk has been one of
the selected raw materials. Prior research has shown that
40~60% potash is present through the analysis of ash samples.
In this study, a numerical simulation was executed to
investigate the amount of potash salt precipitated out of
solution. The Electrolyte NRTL with Redlich-Kwong
(ENRTL-RK) was selected as the appropriate model to
effectively handle the electrolyte system generated. A
combination of crystallizer and flash unit of operations were
very essential for the calculation of the amount of potash solid
leached and precipitated as salt. A steady state simulation
study was conducted using Aspen Plus V8.8. Results showing
the amount of salt recovered and the general material balance
will be displayed and explained. Furthermore, a sensitivity
analysis was run by varying the temperature and how it affects
the mass flow rate of the salt generated from the crystallizer.
Keywords: Simulation, Cocoa Pod Husk, Potash, Apen Plus,
ENRTL-RK
Introduction
Potash refers to the family of potassium based compounds
found in ash after the organic part has been burnt completely.
Ash is however generated after their organic portion has been
converted to heat energy and the unburnt part composed of
minerals with some inert debris. During the combustion
process, the mineral part combines with oxygen to form
oxides. For example, Potassium (K +) will be converted to
Potassium Oxide (K2O) whiles Calcium (Ca+) will form
Calcium Oxide (CaO). Their oxides are however not very
stable so they quickly combine with Carbon dioxide to form
their respective carbonates. This reaction mechanism involved
with K2CO3 for example was captured by the work done by
Afrane [1].
Depending on the material being burnt, analysis will show one
mineral dominant over the other. The component composition
of potash of most interest in this study is K2CO3. Wood ash
for instance presents different composition of K2CO3
compared to cocoa pod ash which is the basis of the study. For
example, studies [2] were conducted to investigate the
chemical composition of cocoa pod husk (CPH) which is
displayed in Table 1. From other studies conducted, the
amount of potash generated was higher compared to the other
sources of ashes obtained.
Potash salt from organic sources such as cocoa pod husk has a
huge economic value in the food processing industry since the
mined type of K2CO3 can be harmful for human consumption.
In Ghana, a company called Marglas Potash Industries has
taken up the challenge to produce this salt and its’ trying to
meet a foreign daily demand of 1000 tons[3]. There are tons
of cocoa pod husk generated especially in Ghana, Cote
d’Ivoire and other cocoa producing countries. The cocoa pod
husk forms about 70~75 % of the cocoa fruit [2][4] which
makes it very easy to estimate the tons of husk generated as
per raw material consideration. For example in 2010 alone, an
estimated amount of 900,000 tons of cocoa beans was
generated which translates to approximately 210,000 tons of
husk generated that year. Furthermore, considering the
hazards associated with mining to the environment, the over
dependence can be minimize by looking at organic sources
especially for the food industry.
With this potential found in the CPH, various researches have
been conducted into the extraction of K2CO3. The extraction
process has been described by way of experiment where the
salt was extracted by leaching with water. The resulting
mixture was allowed to stand for hours to ensure maximum
dissolution of all the ions. It was reported that the amount of
K2CO3 extracted was 40-60% based on the ash and 3-5%
based on the dried samples of the CPH ash[1][5][6]. Other

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 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3050-3053
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

works also captured the effects of temperature and stirring on Table 1: Composition of CPH[2]
the leaching process as well as the proportion of ash to water
ratio recommended for effective extraction. A simple S/n Composition Value
comprehensive description of the extraction process was made 1 Crude Protein 8.9
where temperature was of significance for the extraction 2 Pure Protein -
[7][8]. 2 Fatty Substance 0.15
The ENRTL-SR property method is based on the Symmetric 4 Ash 10.80
Electrolyte NRTL property model. The Symmetric Electrolyte
5 Crude Fibre 33.90
NRTL activity coefficient model (GMENRTLS) uses a
symmetric reference state for ions as pure fused salts, rather 6 Nitrogen-Free extract 41.21
than infinite dilution in aqueous solution. This basis is easier 7 Glucose 1.16
to use for non-aqueous and mixed-solvent systems and 8 Sucrose 0.18
eliminates the need to introduce water into otherwise water- 9 Pectin 3.71
free systems. It also allows the model to reduce to the 10 Theobromine 0.20
standard NRTL model when there are no electrolytes in the
system [9].
In this study, the ENTRL-RK model was selected as the
appropriate method for this system since there will be K 2CO3
salt generated as the final product. The final display of results
will show the amount of K2CO3 generated from the feed
supply. Also a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the
crystallizer to investigate the optimum temperature for
maximum K2CO3 obtained.

Process Description
The process starts by mixing where deionized water will be
mixed the potash (K2CO3) in a mixer which has to be
equipped with a stirrer during real operation. The feed
composition was calculated based on the water to potash ratio
established in the earlier experimental works done [1][5]. A
mass flowrate of 3000kg/h at a ratio of 0.57 of potash to 0.43
of water was fed as feed on a basis of mass fraction. The
portion of potash fed represents 60% of ash material used. Figure 1: Process flow diagram for the leaching of potash
Delving into the chemistry of this process, there will be
complete dissociation of K2CO3 since the salt is very soluble
in water as illustrated in equation (2). This phenomenon will 60
843
Temperature (C)

be captured in Aspen plus Simulator using the ENRTL-RK VAP

Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr)

model. 120

In the simulation environment the mixer operation unit was 30

3000

MIXER
3000
30

CONC
532

H2O
FEED MIXED

used in place of a tank with a stirrer. The mixing stage 60

2157 25

generates slurry in the form of liquid. This will be then fed to LIQUID
CRYZ 2157

SLURRY EVAP

a concentrator where some amount of water will be removed.

In the simulation process a vapor fraction of 0.5 was assigned 120
1625

for the flash calculation. This was necessary to enable the K2CO3

crystallizer function effectively which happens to be the next

unit of operation. From the crystallizer the resulting slurry is
channeled to an evaporator where the temperature was set to
120°C. The reason for this temperature is due to the thermal
behavior of K2CO3 salt when it comes into contact with water.
At a temperature of 120°C all the water molecules bonded to
the salt are removed [7]. Furthermore, at this temperature the
KHCO3 formed alongside gets converted to K2CO3 [1][8][10].
This reaction can be written as below in equation (1) and that
of the dissociation phenomenon in equation (2).
KOH + KHCO3=K2CO3 + H2O. …………………....…. (1)
K2CO3=2K++ CO32-………………….……….…........... (2)
The entire process flow diagram is represented in Fig. 1.
Figure 2: The process flow diagram from Aspen Plus
Temperature is very important in the extraction process since
the potash exhibits different forms at different temperature
ranges. In the crystallizer the temperature was lowered to the
barest minimum which will be explained by the sensitivity
analysis done. In contrast, elevated temperatures are required
for the formation of K2CO3 solid. Talking about temperature
effects, work done by Afrane [1] brought to bear the effects of
temperature on the extraction process. Temperature was
varied from 40 oC to 90 oC during the mixing process and it
was realized that the yield increased with temperature.

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 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3050-3053
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

Table 2: Temperature range and the potash forms that exist[7] Sensitivity Analysis
Sensitivity analysis carried out on the crystallizer shows that
Potash Temperature Unit more crystals are generated at lower temperatures. Fig. 4
K2CO3.3H2O 280~300 K displays the variation of temperature range between 0-50oC.
K2CO3.H2O 370 K This is an indication that the best crystallization method for
K2CO3 400 K the leaching of organic K2CO3 is cooling crystallization.

Electrolyte Wizard
The electrolyte wizard as shown in Fig.3 was used to generate
the ions and the K2CO3 solid which happens to be the salt of
interest. Default parameters of Aspen plus for the system such
as binary interaction and electrolyte pair were selected.

Figure 4: Slurry generated from crystallizer with temperature

Table 3a: Table of results and material balance

FEED H2O LIQUID

Temperature C 30.00 120.00 60.00
Pressure bar 1.00 0.71 0.07
Vapor Frac 0.00 1.00 0.00
Solid Frac 0.00 0.00 0.12
Figure 3: Feed components generated by the electrolyte Mole Flow kmol/hr 112.08 29.52 53.19
wizard Mass Flow kg/hr 3000.00 531.87 2157.03
Volume Flow cum/hr 1.86 1353.55 0.98
Enthalpy Gcal/hr -8.36 -1.68 -5.24
Results Mass Flow kg/hr
Aspen Plus affords the opportunity to perform material
balance for the process and this will be displayed in Table 3. H2O 1410.00 531.87 567.03
As brought to notice before, the salt is very soluble in water K2CO3 0.00 0.00 0.00
hence dissociates into ions. That explains why at the Feed K+ 872.19 0.00 399.23
stream the amount of K2CO3 was registered as zero whiles the K2CO3(S) 48.46 0.00 884.38
amount reflected in the quantity of ions generated. From the CO3-- 669.35 0.00 306.39
results, a total amount of 1528.81 kg/hr salts was produced
from the total amount of 3000kg/hr feed supplied initially. Mass Frac
However the amount of the product generated from the slurry H2O 0.47 1.00 0.26
stream was estimated as 983.709 kg/h which is more than half K2CO3 0.00 0.00 0.00
of the total product generated. This was because of the K+ 0.29 0.00 0.19
presence of water in the stream. This water was gotten rid of K2CO3(S) 0.02 0.00 0.41
at the evaporator which gave more yield. The total amount of
CO3-- 0.22 0.00 0.14
water removed at that evaporation unit was estimated as
842.967kg/hr. Adding the amount of water in the VAP and Mole Flow kmol/hr
H2O streams shows that an amount of 35.168 kg/hr was H2O 78.27 29.52 31.48
present together with the product. Further process such as K2CO3 0.00 0.00 0.00
channeling the product through a fluidized bed dryer can K+ 22.31 0.00 10.21
remove this minimum amount of water that remains in the
K2CO3(S) 0.35 0.00 6.40
product. All the results are presented in the split Tables 3a and
3b. CO3-- 11.15 0.00 5.11

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© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

Table 3b: Table of results and material balance References

SLURRY K2CO3 VAP [1] G. Afrane, “Leaching of Caustic Potash From Cocoa
Temperature C 25.00 120.00 60.00 Husk Ash,” Test, vol. 41, no. December 1990, pp.
Pressure bar 1.00 0.71 0.07 101-104, 1992.
Vapor Frac 0.00 0.00 1.00 [2] I. A. Daniyan, A. O. Adeodu, and D. F. Adewumi,
Solid Frac 0.14 0.77 0.00 “Design of a Processor for the Production of 30, 000
Mole Flow kmol/hr 51.75 14.34 46.79 Tons of Caustic Potash per Anum from Cocoa Pod,”
Mass Flow kg/hr 2157.03 1625.17 842.97 vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 691-700, 2014.
Volume Flow cum/hr 0.95 0.39 17937.23 [3] “Cocoa husks has economic potential-Researcher |
Enthalpy Gcal/hr -5.26 -3.26 -2.69 Regional News 2009-04-23.” [Online]. Available:
Mass Flow kg/hr http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/regiona
H2O 567.03 35.17 842.97 l/artikel.php?ID=161044. [Accessed: 15-Jan-2016].
K2CO3 0.00 0.00 0.00 [4] “2014-2015 Cocoa Commodity Report.” [Online].
Available:
K+ 343.03 34.62 0.00
https://www.modernghana.com/news/621813/1/2014
K2CO3(S) 983.71 1528.81 0.00
-2015-cocoa-commodity-report.html. [Accessed: 15-
CO3-- 263.26 26.57 0.00
Jan-2016].
Mass Frac [5] B. K. Simpson, J. H. Oldham, and A. M. Martin,
H2O 0.26 0.02 1.00 “Extraction of potash from cocoa pod husks,” Agric.
K2CO3 0.00 0.00 0.00 Wastes, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 69-73, 1985.
K+ 0.16 0.02 0.00 [6] S. Communication, “Extraction and potential
K2CO3(S) 0.46 0.94 0.00 application of caustic potash from kolanut husk,
CO3-- 0.12 0.02 0.00 ugwu pod husk and plantain peels,” vol. 3, no. 10,
Mole Flow kmol/hr pp. 515-517, 2008.
H2O 31.48 1.95 46.79 [7] MHE, Comprehensive Chemistry for JEE Advanced
K2CO3 0.00 0.00 0.00 2015. McGraw-Hill Education, 1264.
K+ 8.77 0.89 0.00 [8] Circulating Fluidized Bed Technology: Proceedings
K2CO3(S) 7.12 11.06 0.00 of the First International Conference on Circulating
CO3-- 4.39 0.44 0.00 Fluidized Beds, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada,
November 18-20, 1985. Elsevier Science, 2013.
[9] A. Technology and Asp, “Aspen Plus, Modeling
Conclusion Processes with electrolites,” 1999.
Numerical simulation was used to predict to amount of K 2CO3 [10] “Lappeenranta University of Technology Simulation
salt generated from solution of K2CO3 using ENRTL-RK of Solid Processes by Aspen Plus,” pp. 1-106, 2011.
model. With the feed composition arbitrarily chosen and the
simulation method established, future work can be done
depending on the nature of feed supplied.

Acknowledgement
This work is financially supported by Kongju National
University.

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