Abstract
This work presents a comprehensive investigation on the solubility and mass transfer coefficient enhancement of furfural through Hydrotropy. The solubility and mass transfer coefficient studies were carried out using hydrotropes such as urea, tri-sodium citrate, sodium toluate and sodium benzoate under a wide range of hydrotrope concentrations (0 to 3.0 mol/L) and different system temperatures (303 to 333 K). The solubility of furfural increases with increase in hydrotrope concentration and also with system temperature. A Minimum Hydrotrope Concentration (MHC) in the aqueous phase was required to initiate significant solubilization of furfural. Consequent to the increase in solubilization of furfural, the mass transfer coefficient was also found to increase with increase in hydrotrope concentration. A threshold value of MHC is to be maintained to have an appreciable enhancement in the mass transfer coefficient. The maximum enhancement factor, which is the ratio of the value in the presence and absence of a hydrotrope, has been determined for all sets of experimentations. A comprehensive design expert plot for hydrotropic effect on furfural is also presented.The performance of hydrotropes was measured in terms of Setschnew constant Ks and reported for all hydrotropes used in this study.
Highlights
Hydrotropes are a class of chemical compounds which effect an increased aqueous solubility by several fold to certain solutes which are sparingly soluble in water under normal conditions
There are about four baffles that rotate at a speed of 600 rpm.For each run to measure the mass-transfer coefficient; 250 ml of the furfural previously saturated with distilled water was added to the hydrotrope solution of known concentration
From the analysis of the experimental data, it is observed that a further increase in hydrotrope concentration beyond Cmax does not bring any appreciable increase in the solubility of furfural even up to 3.00 mol/L of urea in the aqueous phase
Summary
Hydrotropes are a class of chemical compounds which effect an increased aqueous solubility by several fold to certain solutes which are sparingly soluble in water under normal conditions. Data on various aspects of hydrotropic study on the solubility and mass-transfer coefficient for furfural -water system are reported for the first time. About 100 ml of furfural previously saturated with distilled water was taken in a separating funnel and 100 ml of a solution of the hydrotrope of known concentration was added. The experimental setup for the determination of the mass-transfer coefficient consisted of a vessel provided with baffles and a turbine impeller run by a motor to agitate the mixture. There are about four baffles that rotate at a speed of 600 rpm.For each run to measure the mass-transfer coefficient; 250 ml of the furfural previously saturated with distilled water was added to the hydrotrope solution of known concentration.
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