Liquid-Liquid Extraction Publication: Generating Equilibrium Data

Equilibrium data and related information gathered from a liquid-liquid extraction laboratory “shake test” can provide information for process feasibility and column-type selection in the scaleup of liquid-liquid extraction processes.

Most chemical engineers have had the experience of dealing with problematic separations, and most have a general understanding of distillation processes. When it comes to liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) processes (Figure 1), however, the details of how these processes work are often less clear. Most academic chemical engineering degree programs do not heavily emphasize liquid-liquid extraction, and most chemical engineering graduates did not receive more than a few days of instruction on generating equilibrium data for LLE in their degree programs.