Result and Discussions

Absorption, or gas absorption, is a unit operation used in the chemical industry to

separate gases by washing or scrubbing a gas mixture with a suitable liquid Gas absorption can
be carried out in a column equipped with sieve trays or other types of plates normally used for
distillation. A column with trays is sometime chosen instead of a packed column to avoid the
problem of liquid distribution in a large diameter tower and to decrease the uncertainty in scale
up. (Warren L. McCabe, 2005). In gas absorption soluble vapor is absorb from its mixture with
an inert gas by means of liquid in which the solute gas is more or less soluble. This to make sure
the solute is subsequently recovered from the liquid by distillation. While stripping is process
when a solute is removed from a liquid by bringing the liquid into contact with an inert gas
(reverse process of absorption).

Diagram 1

In this experiments gas of carbon dioxide was remove or separate from liquid of water.
The valve 1, 4, 7, 8 and selector valve 1was adjusted to open for desired column that is column
1. The name of this process is Liquid separation process. Then the recirculation was switch on.
The flow rate is then was adjusted of 0.5L/min. Then, for absorption of carbon dioxide into
water from air, valve 1 was opened. Flow rate 40L/min was adjusted and valve FCV2 was open
until carbon dioxide rate of 2 L/min reached.
To know exactly the value of carbon dioxide separated from the liquid, titration was
done. The result was shown in table 1 in appendix. The equation involve was based on below
reaction:
2 NaOH + CO NaCO + HO
NaCO + HCL CO + HO + NaCl

Graph Percentage Removal of CO against Time

7

6.02 6.16 6.2 6.18

6.04

6
5
4

Percentage removal of CO (%)

3
2

1.4

1.11 1.22 1.22 1.22

1
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Time (min)

Graph 1.shows the relationship of percentage removal carbon dioxide with time. From
the experiment, for flowrate 40 L/min the percentage of carbon dioxide decrease in time. The
lowest removal percentage of carbon dioxide is 1.22% at 35 minute. Meanwhile, the highest
removal percentage 6.2% at time 10 minutes followed by 6.178% at time 15 minute and then
6.156% at time 5 minutes. These graph trend shows that the percentage of removal C0 decrease
as time increase.
From the graph, percentage removal of carbon dioxide decrease in time. This is because
the packed column provide larger contact area between the liquid and gas and encourages
intimate contact between phases. The liquid enriched in solute flow down the tower, leave the
bottom of packed column through the liquid outlet. Thus carbon dioxide can be separated.

Besides, from the experiments the result show that air flow rate can affect the percentage
removal of CO. 40 L/min is quite low flowrate. Thus, it takes long time for separation occur
compared to high flowrate use which the time needed to separate the CO shorter.