BKF3463 Unit Operation

Tutorial Solid Liquid Extraction

(Leaching)
Department of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering
Universiti Malaysia Pahang

1
Test 21/22-II
• Fresh oilseeds having 25 wt% solute and 1 wt% solvent is to be leached at a rate of 2 ton/hr with
solvent in a countercurrent leaching cascade. One kg of solvent is used per kg of feed. The
overflow does not have any inert entrainment and the amount of solution retained in the sludge
is 0.45 kg solution per kg inert. If 85% of the solute is to be recovered, calculate the composition
and flowrate of the outlet product and determine the number of ideal stages required. The
underflow equilibrium data is given in Table 2.

2
 Underflow (100 kg), slurry
Free-Oil seed Solvent (kg) Oil (kg)
(kg)
67.20 32.80 0
67.10 29.94 2.96
66.93 28.11 4.96
66.58 25.06 8.36
66.26 23.62 10.12
65.75 20.90 13.35
65.33 19.07 15.60
64.39 16.02 19.59
63.77 14.13 22.10
63.23 12.87 23.90
61.54 9.61 28.85

3
Test 21/22-I
• Soy oil was extracted from 1000 kg fresh soybean containing 25 wt.% oil using pure n-hexane in
the counter-current leaching system. 80% of soy oil was extracted from the soybean utilizing this
system. The composition of the slurry underflow stream is constant at 0.85 kg solid/kg solution.
The concentration of the soy oil in the underflow stream coming from stage 1 (L1) is found to be
0.25 kg oil/kg solution.

a) Calculate the flow rate and composition of stream LN, V1 and VN+1.
b) Determine the stages required to perform this leaching process.

4
FE 2020/2021-II
2500 kg/hr of a meal containing 25 % oil is Underflow stream (100 kg), slurry
introduced to a countercurrent leaching Meal-dry basis (kg) Benzene (kg) Oil (kg)
system to recover valuable oil. 2200 kg/hr
of benzene with 0.01 mass fraction of oil is 67.20 32.80 0
used as recovery media. To achieve the 67.10 29.94 2.96
desired oil recovery, the underflow stream 66.93 28.11 4.96
must not contain more than 10 % of total
66.58 25.06 8.36
oil entering the system. Table 1 shows the
equilibrium data for underflow stream on 66.26 23.62 10.12
the extraction of oil from meal using 65.75 20.90 13.35
benzene. Determine the number of ideal
65.33 19.07 15.60
stages and the flow rate and composition
of the outlet products. 64.39 16.02 19.59

5
 FE 2020/2021-I
30000 kg/h of flaked soybean containing 25% oil is to be leached with
pure n-hexane in a countercurrent flow system. The flowrate of pure n-
hexane is 15000 kg/hr. Due to the financial constraint, 3 –stages Concentration Solution retained
countercurrent leaching facility could be acquired. During the
commissioning phase, the experiments show that the exit underflow (kg oil/kg solution) (kg/kg solid)
stream contains 0.1 kg solute/kg solution. Table 1 shows the 0.0 0.5
concentration data for the exit underflow stream. 0.1 0.505
a) Calculate the recovery percentage of oil in the final extract using 0.2 0.515
the proposed design
0.3 0.530
b) After few years of production, the economic analysis shows that 0.4 0.550
the profit margin may largely increases if the system is operated at
its ideal number of stages. Therefore, engineers decided to modify 0.5 0.571
the system according to its ideal condition. Determine the number 0.6 0.595
of ideal stages and calculate the percent increment of the oil 0.7 0.62
recovery compared to the initial equipment design if the exit
underflow remains the same.

6
FE 2019/2020-I
The following reaction occurs in a lime-soda process.
Na2CO3 + Ca(OH)2 → CaCO3 + 2 NaOH
A solution of 65 wt % sodium carbonate (soda) in water was reacted with calcium hydroxide (lime) to produce
1000 kg/h calcium carbonate and a certain amount of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Once the reaction was
complete, a multistage countercurrent leaching was used to extract the NaOH from the sludge formed in the
reaction products. Pure water was used to leach the NaOH from the sludge with 82 % NaOH recovery. CaCO3 is
assumed to be completely insoluble in water. The composition of NaOH in the overflow stream is x1 = 0.18.
Meanwhile, the composition of the underflow stream is shown in Table 1. The molecular weight of Na2CO3,
Ca(OH)2, CaCO3 and NaOH are 106, 74, 100 and 40 respectively.
• Calculate the flowrates for each component at the feed.
• Calculate the amounts and compositions of the overflow and underflow streams leaving the process.
• Determine the number of theoretical stages required for the separation.

N 0.701 0.569 0.462 0.369 0.280 0.180

yA 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.20 0.25

7
Test 2 2019/2020-II
Cod fish oil is extracted from granulated cod livers in a counter-current extraction stages using ether
as the solvent. The solid charge contains 0.35 kg oil/ kg untreated(fresh) livers and it is desired to
obtain 90% oil recovery. Determine the outlet flowrate, composition and number of stages if 50 kg
of solvent is used for every 100 kg of untreated liver. The entrainment data are as follow
Table 1:

Concentration of underflow (kg

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.67
oil/kg solution)
Entrainment (kg solution/kg
0.28 0.34 0.40 0.47 0.55 0.66 0.80 0.96
extracted livers)

8
FE 2018/2019-II
A Bean company carried out process to extract oil from fresh soybean containing 21 wt% soy oil.
The extraction is using pure hexane, targeted to remove 90 % of the oil in a countercurrent
multistages leaching process. The company prepare 1000 kg fresh soybean per hour and the final
exit overflow solution is to contain 65 wt% soy oil. The slurry underflow is assumed N = -0.5 yA + 2.

a) Calculate LO, LN, V1 and VN+1.

b) Determine the total number of theoretical stages

Dr SMS
FE 2018/2019-I
Oil is to be extracted from soybean by means of benzene using a countercurrent extractor. The unit
is to treat 1000 kg of beans (based on completely exhausted solid) per hour. The untreated beans
contain 400 kg of oil and is contaminated with 25 kg of benzene. The fresh solvent mixture contains
10 kg/h of oil and 655 kg/h of benzene. The final underflow concentration leaving the last stages
was set at 0.12. Using the equilibrium data in the Table 1, determine

a) the number of stages required for the separation.

b) the flowrate of the outlet stream and the amount of oil accounted in the underflow and
overflow stream.
c) the percentage of oil being extracted at stage n=2.

Suggestion: Use 1 cm: 0.1 for x -axis and 2 cm: 1.0 for y-axis.

Dr SMS
FE 2018/2019-I

Table 1: Equilibrium data for oil in soybean extracted using benzene

Concentration Concentration
[kg oil/kg solution] [kg solution/kg solid]
0 0.5
0.1 0.505
0.3 0.529
0.5 0.555
0.7 0.621
0.9 0.714

Dr SMS
FE 2017/2018-I
Oil is to be extracted from halibut livers in a countercurrent extraction battery using ether as
solvent. The entrainment of solution by the granulated liver mass was obtained from experiments
and the data is presented in Table 1. In the extraction battery, the charge per cell is 100 pound of
halibut livers, based on completely exhausted livers. The non-extracted livers contain 0.05 gallon of
oil per pound of exhausted material. For this system, an oil-free ether is used as solvent and 92%
recovery of oil is desired from the process. The final extract is to contain 0.65 gallon of oil per gallon
of extract. Determine the number of stages and calculate the amounts and concentrations of inlet
solvent stream and all streams leaving the process.

Dr SMS
FE 2017/2018-I
Table 1: The entrainment of solution by granulated liver mass obtained from experiments

Solution retained by 1 pound of Solution concentration, gallon

exhausted livers, gallon oil/gallon solution
0.035 0
0.042 0.1
0.050 0.2
0.058 0.3
0.068 0.4
0.081 0.5
0.099 0.6
0.120 0.68

Dr SMS
FE 2016/2017-II*
Oil is to be extracted from 6320 kg/h of fresh granulated
halibut livers containing 21wt % of extractable oil. The
leaching process is conducted in a countercurrent solid
extraction system using 1955 kg/hr of recycled diethyl
N (kg inert solid/kg solution) yA (kg oil/kg solution)
ether which inclusively contained 1wt% of oil. Due to the
malfunction of the oil compressor, only 70 % of the total 4.88 0
oil can be extracted from the system. Table 1 shows the 3.50 0.2
equilibrium data for granulated halibut livers, where N is
kg inert solid/kg solution retained and yA is kg oil/kg 2.47 0.4
solution. 1.67 0.6
a) Calculate the amounts and compositions of the exit 1.39 0.81
streams.
b) Determine the total number of theoretical stages
required.

* Slightly different from the actual question

Dr SMS
FE 2016/2017-I
Gold Mining Sdn. Bhd. had proposed to use pure cyanide solvent in their countercurrent multistage
leaching system to enhance the gold production. The gold ore flowrate per hour is 1100 kg that
consist of 27 wt. % of gold. Pure cyanide solvent was able to extract 97 % of gold from the feed. The
final exit overflow solution contains 67 wt. % gold. The value for underflow is kept constant at 1.75
kg insoluble solid/kg solution retained.

a) Calculate the amount and composition for all streams.

b) Calculate the total number of theoretical stages.
c) Calculate the total number of actual stages if the system has 75 % efficiency of the process.

Dr SMS
FE 2014/2015-II
Countercurrent multistage leaching was used to extract solute A from the treated mineral. The feed
charged to the extractor consists of 600 kg solute A, 1500 kg solid B and 600 kg solvent C. Pure
solvent C was used in the process with 90% of solute A was recovered in the exit overflow solution.
The concentration of solute A in the exit overflow solution is 15wt.%. The underflow outlet stream
has constant value of N = 0.5 kg solute A/ kg solution.

a) Determine the number of stage required.

b) Calculate the amount of pure solvent C used for the leaching process above.

Dr SMS
FE 2014/2015-I
Cod oil extracted from granulated cod livers in a countercurrent multi-batch arrangement using
ether as the solvent. 100 kg fresh livers containing 35% oil are to be extracted with pure ether and it
is desired to obtain a 90% oil recovery. 50 kg of pure ether is used to extract the fresh livers.

a) Draw a process flow for countercurrent multistage leaching.

b) Calculate:
i. The number of theoretical stages required.
ii. The inlet inert concentration, No
iii. The outlet inert concentration, NN
iv. The outlet underflow stream, LN
v. The outlet overflow stream, Vj
c) If the percentage of oil recovery increases up to 98%, what will happen to the overall operating
cost? Why?
d) If the mass of pure solvent decreases, what will happen to the number of theoretical stages?
Why?

Dr SMS
FE 2014/2015-I

Dr SMS
FE 2013/2014-II
Caustic soda (CaCO3) is manufactured by the lime-soda process in the following reaction.
Na2CO3 + Ca(OH)2 → CaCO3 + 2NaOH
A solution of 60 wt.% sodium carbonate in water was treated with the theoretical requirement of lime for producing 1000
kg/h calcium carbonate. After the reaction is complete, a multistage countercurrent leaching was used to extract the NaOH
from the sludge formed in the reaction products. Pure water was used to leach NaOH from the sludge with 80% NaOH
recovery. CaCO3 is assumed to be completely insoluble in water. The concentration of NaOH in the overflow stream is x1 =
0.2. The composition of underflow stream is shown in Table 1. The molecular weight of Na2CO3, Ca(OH)2, CaCO3, and NaOH
are 106, 74, 100 and 40 respectively.
a) Calculate the amounts and compositions of the stream leaving the process.
b) Determine the number of stages required.

Table 1: Data on countercurrent multistage leaching process

N kg inert solid B/kg solution 0.667 0.571 0.455 0.370 0.278 0.180
yA kg NaOH/kg solution 0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
FE 2013/2014-I
Fresh halibut livers containing 25.7 wt % oil are to be extracted with pure ethyl ether to remove 95% of the oil
in a countercurrent multistage leaching process. The feed rate is 1000 kg of fresh livers per hour. The final exit
overflow solution is to contain 70 wt % oil. The retention of solution by the inert solids (oil-free liver) of the
liver varies as shown in Table 2, where N is kg inert solid/kg solution retained and yA is kg oil/kg solution.
a) Calculate the amounts and compositions of the exit streams.
b) Determine the total number of theoretical stages required.

Table 2: Data for N vs. yA

N (kg inert solid/kg solution retained) yA (kg oil/kg solution)
4.88 0
3.50 0.2
2.47 0.4
1.67 0.6
1.39 0.81
FE 2012/2013-II
A multistage countercurrent leaching is used to extract the sludge produced from the following reaction
Na2CO3 + CaO + H2O → CaCO3 + 2NaOH

The reaction is complete with no excess reactants present in the reaction products. The products (i.e. sludge) from the
reaction enter the first leaching with 1.667 kg CaCO3/ kg H2O and also NaOH. Pure water is used to leach NaOH from the
sludge with 97% NaOH recovery. CaCO3 is assumed to be completely insoluble in water. The concentration of NaOH in the
overflow stream is x1 = 0.2. The composition of underflow stream is shown in Table 2. The molecular weight of NaOH and
CaCO3 are 40 and 100 respectively.
a) Calculate the amounts and compositions of the stream leaving the process.
b) Determine the number of stages required.

Table 2: Data on countercurrent multistage leaching process

N kg inert solid B/kg solution 0.667 0.571 0.455 0.370 0.278 0.180
yA kg NaOH/kg solution 0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
Thank You

Dr SMS