The Use of an Ionic Liquid in a Karr Reciprocating Plate Extraction Column: Dispersed Phase Hold-up Prediction

Abstract

The use of ionic liquids (ILs) as alternatives to volatile organic liquids in solvent extraction is being considered in a number of applications. This study presents data on the dispersed phase holdup of the ionic liquid [bmim][PF₆] with water in a Karr extraction column. It was found that this system conforms to the standard slip velocity relationships and that the holdup can be predicted using existing correlations for dispersed phase holdup in Karr reciprocating plate columns. This indicates that the incorporation of ionic liquids into existing processing equipment is relatively straightforward and they behave in a predictable manner.

Keywords:

• holdup
• ionic liquid
• Karr reciprocating plate column
• solvent extraction

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was made possible from the financial support of the Australian Research Council (ARC), GlaxoSmithKline Australia Ltd. (GSK) and Particulate Fluids Processing Centre (PFPC).