Mass Transfer Performance and Mathematical Modeling of Rotating Disc Contactors Used for Reversed Micellar Extraction of Proteins.

Abstract

Mass transfer performance and mathematical modeling for the reversed micellar extraction of lysozyme was investigated in a rotating disc contactor (RDC) of 38 mm diameter. The diffusion model was used to describe the extraction performance. The model was solved numerically by changing parameters to fit the calculated two phase concentration profiles with the measured profiles using the Complex optimizing method. The axial dispersion coefficients of two phases and the overall mass transfer coefficients based on the continuous phase in the RDC were determined as parameters. It was found that the correlations for dispersion coefficients in the literatures cannot be used for both continuous and dispersed phases, but the values of mass transfer coefficients obtained from the diffusion model agreed with those of the previous correlations in the literatures fairly well. It is suggested that the diffusion model may be used for mass transfer prediction and column design for the reversed micellar extraction of proteins.