Material Balance

Dr. S Venkat Kumar

Introduction
Material balance accounts all the material that enters,
leave, accumulate, disappear in the course of a given
time interval of operation.
Input = output + disappearance + accumulation

It is based on law of conservation of mass

(total mass input) = (total mass output)
 General Rules for solving M.B. Problems
1. Draw the system as a diagram
2. Select a basis for the solution.
3. Convert units if necessary.
4. Add the available information
5. Designate symbols for each of the streams.
Common symbols include F (feed), P (product),
R (recycle), and X, Y, Z, as fractions.
6. Decide material to be balanced
7. Write the basic M.B. equation
8. Solve the resulting algebraic equations for the
unknown quantities.
Mass balance filtration/centrifuge

wash water/solvent

feed suspension solid

waste water filtrate

Mass balance - drier

water/evaporated solvent

feed product
Example (single stage extraction;
immiscible solvents)

feed raffinate

E1
solvent extract
Mass balance – Distillation unit

Distillate

feed

Bottom product
Distillation
 It is a process in which a liquid or vapour mixture of
two or more substance is separated into its
component fractions of desired purity
 Distillation can be carried out by two principal
methods:
 ––First method is based on the production of vapor
by boiling the liquid mixture to be separated and
condensing vapor with no liquid return i.e. withno
Reflux.
 ––Second method is returning a part of liquid so it
can come in intimate contact with the vapor on their
way to condenser i.e. with Reflux.
Unit operations
 Almost all chemical and process industries can be
broken into a series of steps called operations
 Some of these operations involve chemical reaction
whereas others are purely physical in nature
 The science of chemical engineering aims at
breaking up a complex process into a sequence of
industrial steps called unit operations.
Unit Operations:
Eg: Manufacturing process of common salt

Transportation of solids and liquids

Evaporation

Crystallization

Drying

Screening

Packaging

The real objective of unit operations is to workout the most economical

process that will give optimum return of profit over the longest period.
 Example
Process diagram
Problem
450 kg B/hr
q1 kg T/hr
1000 kg /hr of a mixture of benzene
(B) and toluene(T) that contains
50% benzene by mass are separated 500 kg B/hr
500 kg T/hr q2 kg B/hr
by distillation into two fractions. 475 kg T/hr
The mass flow rate of benzene in the
top stream is 450 kg B/hr and that
of toluene in the bottom stream is
475 kg T/hr. The operation is at
Material Balance
steady state. Write balances on * Benzene balance
500 = 450 + q1
benzene and toluene to calculate * Toluene Balance
unknown component flow rate in 500 = q2 + 475
the output streams.

Solution :
Q1 = 50 kg T/hr
Q2 = 50 kg B/hr
Problems:
1. Dilute ethyl alcohol is concentrated using a
distillation column, the feed is 1000 Kg/hr of dilute
alcohol with 25% alcohol by wt. the bottom product
contains 0.4% alcohol by wt. and distillate contains
94% alcohol by wt. Find the % loss of alcohol to the
total alcohol in the feed.
2. In a textile mill, a double effect evaporator system
concentrates weak liquor containing 4% (by wt)
caustic soda to produce a lye containing 25%
solids (by wt). Calculate the evaporation of water
per 100 kg feed in the evaporator.
 3.

Distillation
Distillate 5% water

column
1000 Kg/hr
20% alcohol
feed
Bottom product 0.1% alcohol
Find distillate & bottom product

4. Soya bean seed are extracted with hexane in batch reactor. The seeds
contains 24% oil, 67% solids, 9% moisture. At the end of the extraction,
Deoiled cake (DOC) is separated from the hexane-oil mixture. DOC analysis
yields 1.4% oil, 89% solids and 9.6% moisture. Find the % recovery of oil,
all percentage are by wt.

5. A spent lye sample obtained from a soap making unit contains 9.6%
glycerol and 10.3% sodium Chloride. It is concentrated at the rate of 5000
Kg/hr in an evaporator and the concentrate contains 86% glycerol and 6%
NaCl. Assume 4.5% of glycerol is lost in entrainment. Find (a) evaporation
rate (b) amount of salt crystallised out. All percentages are by wt%.
6. The waste acid from a nitrating process contains 23%
HNO3, 57% H2SO4 and 20% H2O by wt. This acid is to
be concentrated to contain 27% HNO3, 60% H2SO4 by
the addition of conc H2SO4 containing 93% and conc
HNO3 containing 90%. Calculate the wt of waste and
concentrated acids that must be combined to obtain
1000 lb of the desired mixture
7. It is required to make 1000 Kg mixed acid containing
60% H2SO4, 32% HNO3 and 8% water by blending (i) the
spend acid containing 11.3% HNO3, 44.4% H2SO4 and
44.3% water(ii) aqueous 90% HNO3 and (iii) aqueous
98% H2SO4. All % are by wt. Calculate the quantity of
each of the three acids required for blending
8. An aqueous solution having an initial concentration of
10% salt on mass basis evaporated at the rate of 1000
Kg/hr in a double effect evaporator. The concentration in
the first effect is 15% and in the second effect is 30%.
Determine the amount of water that evaporates in
second effect.
10. 300 Kg spent acid, 400 Kg aqueous HNO3 and 900 Kg
aqueous H2SO4 are blended to prepare a mixed acid.
Spent acid contains 60% sulphuric acid, 24% nitric acid,
16% water. Aqueous nitric acid contains 85% nitric acid
and 15% water. Aqueous H2SO4 contains 94% H2SO4 and
6% water. All % are by wt. Calculate the mole% and wt%
of each component in the mixed acid

11. A Multiple effect evaporator has a capacity of obtaining 1.5

Tonne per day of solid caustic Soda when it concentrates weak
liquor from 4% to 24% (both on weight basis). When the plant is
fed with 6% weak liquor and if concentrates to 35% (both on
weight basis). Find the capacity of the plant in terms of caustic
soda, assuming the water evaporative capacity to be same in
both cases.
12. Corn steep liquor contains 2.5% invert sugar and 50% water; the
rest can be considered solids. Beet molasses containing 50%
sucrose, 1% invert sugar, 18% water and the remaining solids is
mixed with corn steep liquor in a mixed tank. Water is added to
promote a dilute sugar mixture containing 2% (w/w) invert sugars.
125 Kg corn steep liquor and 45 Kg molasses are fed into the
tank
(a)How much water is required
(b)What is the concentration of sucrose in the final mixture?

13. A fermentation slurry containing streptomyces kanamyceticus

cells is filtered using a continuous rotary vacuum filter. 120 Kg/hr
slurry is fed to the filter. 1 Kg of slurry contains 60 g cell solids.
To improve filtration rates, particles of diatomaceous earth filter
aid are added at a rate of 10 Kg/hr. the concentration of
kanamycin in the slurry is 0.05% by wt. liquid filtrate is collected
at a rate of 112 Kg/hr. the concentration of kanamycin in the
filtrate is 0.045% (w/w). Filter cake containing cells and filter aid
is continuously removed from the filter cloth.
(a)What % liquid is the filter cake?
(b)What is the % of kanamycin in the filter cake?
Recycle : when outlet stream is partly returned to the
equipment for processing or reuse
Fresh feed Product stream

Recycle stream

Bypass: When the inlet stream is partially diverted around

the equipment and reunites with the processed stream
Feed stream outlet stream

Bypass stream
 Various reason for encountering these streams are
(i) to utilize valuable reactant and heat energy to their maximum and
avoid wastage
(ii) To control operating variables like pH, temp, concentration
(iii) To improve the quality of product
(iv) To utilize heat energy being lost in outgoing stream

1. What is the flow rate in recycle stream in figure shown below?

W Water

F Feed
Evaporator 10,000 Kg/hr
300˚F 20% KNO3
M
50% KNO3 R 0.6 Kg KNO3/Kg H2O
crystallizer
C 100˚F
Crystal with 4%
water
2. A distillation column separates 10000 kg/hr of a 50%
benzene, 50% toluene mixture. The product (D)
recovered from the condenser at the top of the
column contains 95% benzene and the bottom (W)
from the column contains 96% toluene. The vapor
stream (V) entering the condenser from the top of the
column is 8000 kg/hr. A portion of the product from
the condenser is returned to the column as reflux and
the rest is withdrawn for use. Find the ratio of the
amount refluxed to the product withdrawn(D).
3. A solution containing 10% Nacl, 3% KCl and water is fed to the
process shown in figure at the rate of 18400 kg/hr. The
composition of the stream are as follows: evaporator product P :
NaCl =16.8%, KCl=21.6% and water. Recycle product R : NaCl
=18.9 % and water. Calculate the flow rates in kg/hr and
compute the composition of feed to the evaporator(F’)

R
W

Fresh feed F’ Evaporator Crystallizer

F P

NaCl only KCl only

 R 0.4 lb Vitamin/ lb water

F Centrifuge Continuous Filter

98 lb/hr
20% vitamin
Solution
C=?
60% V ; 40% water
W=? p=?
water 100% 4% water

Find R, W, C and P
Material Balance Involving
Chemical Reaction
Limiting Reactant - The reactant in a chemical reaction that
limits the amount of product that can be formed. The
reaction will stop when all of the limiting reactant is
consumed. ( A reactant which decides the conversion in
a reaction)

Excess Reactant - The reactant in a chemical reaction that

remains when a reaction stops when the limiting reactant
is completely consumed. The excess reactant remains
because there is nothing with which it can react. (A
reactant which is present in excess of the stoichiometric
amount in a reaction.

 Which chemical is limiting and which is in excess is

ALWAYS a function of the stoichiometry and the number
of moles, and NEVER the number of grams of the
reagents. You must always compare the numbers of
moles with the stoichiometry of the reaction.
 Required Product Moles
Selectivity = _________________________
Moles of unwanted product

% Conversion = Moles of Reactant consumed in reaction

____________________________ X 100
Moles of reactant charged

% Yield = Moles of required product

_______________________________ X 100
Moles of basis used to form required product and
unwanted product
 Problems:
1. A 2.00 g sample of ammonia is mixed with 4.00 g of
oxygen. Which is the limiting reactant and how
much excess reactant remains after the reaction
has stopped?
2. For the reaction: K + O2  K2O
a. Is 0.65 moles of O2 enough to react with 0.56
moles of K?
b. Is 0.65 g of O2 enough to react with 0.56 g of K?
c. How many grams of K2O will be produced from
0.50 g of K and 0.10 g of O2?

3. 90 g of FeCl3 reacts with 52 g of H2S. What is the

limiting reactant? What mass of excess reactant
remains after the reaction.
 4 K + O2 2 K2O

 a. 0.56 moles K x 1 mole O2

4 moles K = 0.14 mole O2 needed Yes, 0.65 mole O2 is
more than enough.
 b. 0.56 g K x 32.0 g O2
156.4 g K = 0.11 g O2 needed Yes, 0.65 g O2 is more
than enough.
 c. 0.50 g K x 188.4 g K2O
156.4 g K = 0.60 g K2O 0.10 g O2 x 188.4 g K2O
32.0 g O2 = 0.59 g K2O O2 will be the limiting reagent
and 0.59 g K2O will be formed.
1. Compute the material balance for the manufacture of 12000
kgs salicylic acid per day. Overall chemical reaction is

C6H5OH + NaOH+ CO2+H2SO4 HOC6H4COOH+Na2SO4+H2O

2. Monochloric acetic acid (MCA) is manufactured by the
action of glacial acetic acid with Cl2 gas at 100°C in
the presence of PCl3 catalyst. MCA formed will
further react with chlorine to form Dichloro acetic acid
(DCA). To prevent the formation of DCA, excess
acetic acid is used. A small scale unit which
produces 500 kg MCA per day requires 4536 kg Cl2
per day. Also 263 kg DCA per day is separated in
the crystallizer to get pure MCA product. Find the %
conversion, % yield of MCA and selectivity.