Continuous low surface tension and high viscosity two phases liquid separation

Abstract

Continuous phase separation is an essential process for developing sustainable chemical manufacturing. A novel biphasic interface manipulation method for controllably separating an aqueous solution with an organic solvent within a core-annular liquid-liquid phase separator (CAPS) with high efficiency, low energy, and low cost is presented. The interface manipulation technique involves a stretchable helix wire placed at the core position that continuously propels the carrier phase and merges the discrete phase by altering the interfacial pressure. The purity and recovery rates for three organic solvent–water biphasic systems were studied. Complete separation at a preproduction-scale (10 mL min−1) flow rate and for a high viscosity sample (> 5 mPa s) was demonstrated. Furthermore, the high operability in flow rate control, compatibility with different input conditions, scalability, and automatic regulation for future continuous manufacturing of the CAPS were demonstrated.