Pilot Scale Liquid-Liquid Extraction Process Development for Emulsifying Viscous Organic-Aqueous Mixtures

The tendency of specific two-phase liquid-liquid systems to emulsify makes proper pilot scale process development extremely important for successful process scale-up.  This paper will focus on a case study of a polymer solution – water mixture that exhibited strong emulsification tendencies and the challenges associated with piloting and scale-up.   Its behaviors and unique features will be compared to a system with low emulsification tendency.  Efforts to measure liquid-liquid mixture properties and correlate them to input process conditions and equipment design will be detailed. A brief description of ongoing process improvement efforts will be included.