Solid –Liquid Extraction / Leaching

Contents

 Introduction

 Process

 Factors influencing the rate of extraction

 Leaching of equipment’s

 Calculation of the number of stage

Introduction
• Leaching / solid extraction – methods of removing one constituent from a solid by means of a
liquid solvent.

• The desired components diffuses in to the solvent from it is natural solid form
e.g. Removal of sugar from sugar beet with hot water
Gold extraction from their natural solid beds with cynide solution

• The process may be used either for

1 Production of a concentrated solution of a valuable solids materials
2 in order to remove an insoluble solid such as pigment from a soluble materials with
which it is contaminated
Process
• Three distinct processes are usually involved in leaching operations:
(a) Dissolving the soluble constituent.
(b) Separating the solution, so formed, from the insoluble solid residue.
(c) Washing the solid residue in order to free it of unwanted soluble matter or to obtain as much of the soluble
material as possible as the product (increase recovery efficiency).

• In a typical leaching operation , the solid mixture to be separated consists of particles ,inert insoluble
carrier B and solute A ,the solvent C is added to the mixture to selectively dissolves A

• The over flow from the stage is free of solids and consists of only solvents C and dissolved A

• The underflow consists of slurry of liquids of similar composition in the over flow and solid carrier B

• In an ideal leaching process equilibrium stage, all the solute is dissolved by the solvent ,none of the
carrier is dissolved (B) and this leaching is essentially counter current.
 Cont.…

• In industrial leaching, solvent and solids are mixed allowed to approach equilibrium and the
two phases are separated.

• Liquids and solids move counter currently to the adjacent stage and the solvent phase called
extract becomes more concentrated as it contacts in stage wise fashion the increasingly solute –
rich solids

• The raffinate becomes less concentrated in soluble materials as it moves toward the fresh
solvent phase.
Factors influencing the rate of extraction
Leaching of equipment's

•There are many type of equipment used for leaching most of the equipment's fall in to one of

the two categories on the basis of nature of solids

1. Leaching by percolation (liquid added to solids)
When the solid form an open permeable solid through out the leaching operation
Solvent may be percolated through an un agitated bed of solids

2. Leaching by dispersed solid (solids added to liquids)

The solids are usually crushed in to small pieces and the solids dispersed in to the solvent
solids that form impermeable beds ,either before or during leaching are treated by dispersing them in the
solvents by mechanical agitation in a tank or flow mixer.
the leachable residue is then separated from the strong solution by settling or filtration

Continuous counter current leaching is obtained with several gravity thank connected in series.
 Calculation of the number of stage
Multi stage counter current leaching/washing
In multi stage leaching ,the under flow from the first stage is fed to the next stage to extract more
solute
The solution feed comes from the next stage in order to load the over flow with more solute
 Cont….

• L1, . . . , Lh, . . . ,Ln are the amounts of

solute in the overflows from washing
thickeners 1 to n, respectively.
• w1, . . .,wh, . . . , wn are the
corresponding quantities of solution.
• An amount wn+1 of wash liquid, fed to
the nth thickener, contains an amount
Ln+1 of solute.
• S1, . . . , Sh, . . . , Sn and W1, . . . , Wh, . . .
, Wn are the amounts of solute and
solution in the underflows from the
thickeners.
• S0 and W0 are the amounts of solute
and solution with the solids which are
fed to the system for washing.
Calculation of the number of stage For constant under flow
• The amount of solvent removed with the
insoluble solids is constant i.e. it is
independent of the solution of stage/thickener
1
• Then the amount of solvent leaving each
thickeners in the under flow will then be the If perfect mixing
same
2

• Therefore ,the amount of solvent in the

overflow will also be the same 3

• Hence the ratio of the solvent discharged in Note that it may be noted that these relations
the overflow to that in the underflow is apply only to the washing thickeners and not in
constant and denoted by R general ,to the primary thickener's in which the
product from agitator is fist separated .
Material balance on thickener h
• Taking balance on solute
4

6
7
Material balance on thickener n
• Solute balance on solute for Each of thickener

8
 Cont.…
• The amount of solute associated with the washed solid may be calculated in terms of the composition of
the solid and of wash liquid fed to the system.

• In many cases ,the amount of solute associated with the washed solid residue must not exceed a certain
value.

• And if this is known it is then possible to calculate directly the minimum number of thickener/stages
necessary in order to achieve this .

• If the liquid fed to the washing system is pure solvent Ln+1 will be equal to zero.
so equation 8 simplified to

• In this equation, (Sn/S0) represents the fraction of the solute fed to the washing system which remains
associated with the washed solids.
 Cont.….

• If in a given case it is required that this fraction should not exceed a value f , the minimum number of washing
thickeners required is given by:

10

• In general , n will rarely be a whole number and the number of stages to be specified will be taken as the next higher
number

• It is some times more convenient to work in terms of the total amount of solution entering and leaving each thickeners

11
Calculation of the number of stage For variable under flow
• In the systems considered so far, the quantity of solvent, or of solution, removed in association
with the insoluble solids has been assumed to be constant and independent of the concentration
of solution in the thickener.

• A similar countercurrent system is now considered in which the amount of solvent or solution in
the underflow is a function of the concentration of the solution

• The concentration of the solution in each thickener, defined as the ratio of solute to solution, is
denoted by the symbol X.
Considering the overflow from thickener h, then

12

13
 Cont.….

• in order to define the system, it is necessary to specify the following quantities or other quantities
from which they can be calculated by a material balance:
(a) The composition of the liquid used for washing, Xn+1.
(b) The quantity of wash liquid employed, wn+1. Thus Ln+1 can be calculated from
the relation Ln+1 = wn+1Xn+1 (from equation 12).
(c) The composition of the solid to be washed, S0 and W0.
(d) The quantity of insoluble solid to be washed; this is taken as unity.
(e) The quantity of solution removed by the solid in the underflow from the thickeners;
 this will vary according to the concentration of the solution in the thickener, and it is therefore
necessary to know the relation between Wh and Xh. This must be determined experimentally under
conditions similar to those under which the plant will operate.
 The data for Wh should then be plotted against X h. On the same graph it is convenient to plot values
calculated for Sh (= WhXh, from equation 13).
(f) The required purity of the washed solid Sn. This automatically defines Xn and Wn whose values can
be read off from the graph referred to under (e).
 Cont…
• The solution of the problem depends on the
application of material balances with
respect to solute and to solution,
• first over the system as a whole and then
over the first h thickeners
Balance on the system as a whole

14

15
 Cont.…
• The concentration of the solution discharged
from the system is obtained by substituting
• from equations 14 and 15 in 12:
16
Balance on the first h thickeners

17

18
 Cont….
• Thus the concentration of the solution fed to thickener h is given by substituting from equations
17 and 18 in equation 12 to give:
19
• In equation 16, all the quantities except X1 are known, and therefore X1 can be calculated.

• It may be noted that if, instead of the quantity of wash liquid fed to the system, the
concentration of the solution leaving the system had been given, equation 16 could have been
used to calculate wn+1

• When X1 has been evaluated ,the solution of the problem depends on the application of equation
19 in successive stage

• The only unknown quantity in equation 19 are Xh+1,Sh & Wh

• Applying equation 19 to the first stage (h=1) then
 Cont…

• Since X1 is now known, the values of S1 and W1 can be obtained from a graph in which Sh and
Wh are plotted against Xh

• After substituting these values in the equation, X2 can be calculated. The next step is to apply
equation 19 for h = 2. X2 is now known so that S2 and W2 can be obtained from the graph, and
the value of X3 can then be calculated.

• It is thus possible to apply equation 19 in this way in successive stages until the value obtained
for Sh is brought down to the specified value of Sn

• In general, of course, it will not be possible to choose the number of thickeners so that Sh is
exactly equal to Sn.
 Cont…

• It may be seen that the purity of the washed solid must be known before equations
16 and 19 can be applied.

• If in a given problem it is necessary to calculate the degree of washing obtained

by the use of a certain number of washing thickeners, an initial assumption of the
values of Sn and Wn must be made before the problem can be attempted.

• As a first step, an average value for R may be taken and Sn calculated from
equation 9.

• The method, as already given, should then be applied for the number of thickeners
specified in the problem, and the calculated and assumed values of Sn compared
Thank you