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Chapter 5

This chapter discusses various mass transfer operations and mechanisms involved in environmental engineering processes. It covers fundamentals of diffusion, Fick's laws of diffusion, mass transfer coefficients, interphase mass transfer theories, gas and liquid absorption, packed columns, adsorption, ion exchange, and their applications.

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8 views

Chapter 5

This chapter discusses various mass transfer operations and mechanisms involved in environmental engineering processes. It covers fundamentals of diffusion, Fick's laws of diffusion, mass transfer coefficients, interphase mass transfer theories, gas and liquid absorption, packed columns, adsorption, ion exchange, and their applications.

Uploaded by

Tayto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

Lecture notes for


Unit operation For Environmental Engineering
(ChEg3102)
Department: Environmental Engineering

By: Tayto Mindahun (MSc in Process Engineering)


Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Chapter 5
Mass transfer
operations
Introduction to mass transfer

▪ Mass transfer occurs in many processes, such as absorption, evaporation, drying, precipitation, membrane
filtration, ion exchange and distillation etc…
Example of mass transfer operations
▪ Distillation, evaporation, extraction processes as indicates in figure below.
Example of mass transfer operations
▪ Drying, absorption, adsorption and membrane filtration as indicated below.
Mechanisms of mass transfer
▪ There are basically two modes of mass transfer:
1. Mass transfer by diffusion: the transport of mass by random molecular motion in
sluggish or laminar flowing fluids.

▪ Mass transfer by diffusion occurs due to:


▪ Concentration gradient,
▪ Temperature gradient, and
▪ Hydrostatic pressure difference.
2. Convective mass transfer: the rate of molecular
diffusion of mass can be accelerated by the bulk motion
of the fluid.
Examples of mass transfer process

❑ Mass transfer can also occur in liquids and solids as well as in gases.

▪ A cup of water left in a room eventually evaporates as a


result of water molecules diffusing into the air (liquid-to-
gas mass transfer).
▪ A piece of solid CO2 (dry ice) also gets smaller and smaller in time
as the CO2 molecules diffuse into the air (solid-to-gas mass
transfer).
▪ A spoon of sugar in a cup of coffee eventually moves up and
sweetens the coffee (solid-to-liquid mass transfer).

▪ The diffusion of carbon into iron during case-hardening,


doping of semiconductors for transistors, and the migration
of doped molecules in semiconductors at high temperature
are examples of solid-to-solid diffusion processes.
Properties of mixtures: Concentration
Properties of mixtures
Properties of mixtures
Properties of mixtures: Velocities
Properties of mixtures: Velocities
Diffusion

▪ Diffusion is the process of movement of molecules under a concentration gradient.


▪ When transfer of the component from one phase to the other occurs due to concentration
gradient, the phenomenon is called diffusion. The diffusion stops once equilibrium is
attained.

▪ There are two types of diffusion,


▪ Molecular diffusion
▪ Eddy diffusion or Turbulent diffusion
Types of diffusion
Fick’s Law of Diffusion
Diffusivity or diffusion coefficient
▪ Diffusion mainly depends upon the concentration gradient. In other words, the
driving force for diffusion to occur is concentration gradient.
▪ This mass transfer phenomenon is defined by Fick’s first law of diffusion, which
states that molar flux is directly proportional to the concentration gradient.
▪ Mathematically, it can be expressed as:

▪ Mass transfer involves both mass diffusion occurring at a molecular scale and bulk transport of mass
due to convection flow.
Mass transfer coefficient
▪ The mass transfer coefficient is a diffusion rate constant that relates the mass transfer rate,
mass transfer area, and concentration change as a driving force.
▪ Note that:
➢ Rate of mass transfer ∝ concentration gradient.
➢ Rate of mass transfer ∝ Area of contact between the phases.
Mass transfer coefficient

▪ The specific definition and calculation of mass transfer coefficients can vary depending
on the type of mass transfer process and the system involved.
▪ Here are some common scenarios:
▪ Gas – liquid mas transfer
▪ Liquid – liquid mass transfer
▪ Solid – gas mass transfer
▪ Packed bed mass transfer
▪ Determining mass transfer coefficients often involves experimental measurements or complex
simulations, as they depend on various factors, including the physical properties of the
substances, fluid dynamics, and the specific geometries of the systems.
▪ Accurate values of mass transfer coefficients are essential for designing and optimizing
chemical/food processes and equipment.
Interphase mass transfer

▪ Interphase mass transfer refers to the transport of a particular species across the
interface or boundary between two phases.
▪ Examples: distillation, liquid – liquid extraction

▪ Interphase mass transfer is governed by Fick's law of


diffusion, which relates the rate of mass transfer to
the concentration gradient and the mass diffusivity of
the species.
▪ Different theories involved:
▪ Two film theory
▪ Penetration theory
▪ Surface renewal theory
Two film theory
Two film theory
Penetration and surface renewal theories
Absorption/ Gas Absorption
Absorption/ Gas Absorption
Absorption/ Gas Absorption
Gas Absorption Equipments
Packed Columns/ Towers
Packed Columns/ Towers
Packed Columns/ Towers
Tower Packing's
Packed Columns/ Towers

Characteristics of packing materials


Adsorption
Adsorption vs Absorption – Differences
Driving force for adsorption
Adsorption in liquids and solids
Adsorption: types
Adsorption: types
Differences:
Factors affecting adsorption process
Adsorption isotherms
Adsorption isotherms: Freundlich isotherm
Adsorption isotherms: Langmuir isotherm
Adsorption isotherms: Langmuir isotherm
Adsorption isotherms: Temkin isotherm
Adsorption isotherms: BET isotherm
Adsorption kinetic models
Adsorption kinetic models
Types of adsorbents
Types of adsorbents: Chemical adsorbents
Application of adsorption
Ion exchange
Ion exchange media (materials)

▪ Ion exchange materials are made of organic or inorganic


matrices containing ionic functional groups·
▪ Both natural ion exchange materials (zeolites) and
synthetic ion exchange materials exist.
▪ The vast majority of the ion exchangers used in
industrial wastewater treatment is of synthetic origin.
▪ The most common type of synthetic ion exchange
materials are organic resins.

▪ Ion exchange resins are utilized for the process of ion exchange. Ion exchange resins are organic
compounds polymerized to form a porous tridimensional matrix.
Common applications of ion exchange in industrial wastewater
treatment
Advantages and disadvantages of ion exchange
End
of
chapter 5

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