Exploiting the Synergy Between Liquid Extraction and Other Solvent Driven Separations

In liquid extraction the stronger interaction with one molecule over another is exploited to effect the separation.  The same principle is used in azeotropic distillation and extractive distillation.  Since liquid extraction systems are typically followed by solvent recovery systems that involve distillation, careful selection of the liquid extraction solvent (or solvent mixture) can benefit both the extraction and distillation systems.  In this paper a systematic approach for solvent selection will be presented.  A case, including laboratory and pilot plant data, will be used to demontarate the benefit of this approach.