Absorption of Carbon Dioxide into Non‐Newtonian Liquid. II. Effect of w/o Emulsion

Abstract

Carbon dioxide was absorbed into water‐in‐oil (w/o emulsion) composed of aqueous droplets as dispersed phase and benzene solutions of polybutene (PB) and polyisobutylene (PIB) as continuous phase in an agitated vessel to get the liquid‐side volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k_La). The effect of viscosity, pseudoplasticity, viscoelasticity, and interfacial tension of the emulsion, and speed and size of impeller on the gas–liquid mass transfer were investigated. The elastic properties, considered in the form of the Deborah number, were found to decrease the volumetric mass‐transfer coefficient. On the basis of experimental data of k_La, a dimensionless empirical equation for k_La was proposed using the Deborah number and interfacial tension as follows:

Keywords:

• Carbon dioxide
• Gas absorption
• Non‐Newtonian liquid
• Viscoelasticiy
• Mass transfer coefficient
• Emulsion
• Interfacial tension

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by grant No. (R01‐2000‐00326) from the Basic Research Program of the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation.