Steam distillation is a distillation process with
open steam. It is a process in which steam is direct contact with distilling system. It can be carried out batch wise or continuously. Steam distillation is possible – - When material to be distilled doesn’t react with steam. - When desired product- volatile or non volatile residue is practically insoluble in water. Steam distillation
With steam distillation it is possible to separate substance
at a temperature lower than their normal boiling points. In Steam distillation the liquid is distilled by admitting steam directly into the liquid in a distillation still. Example of Steam distillation include concentration and purification of essential oils for perfumery, deodorization of fats and oils and purification of long chain fatty acids. Steam distillation
Steam distillation is commonly used
- Separation of a high boiling material from a solution. - Separation and purification of hazardous and flammable substances like turpentine. - Separation of a thermally unstable substance from a mixture. - Separation of volatile impurities from waste water. Azeotropic distillation
An azeotrope is constant boiling mixture.
Azeotrope is a liquid mixture with an equilibrium vapor of the same composition as liquid. Azeotropic distillation is a distillation technique wherein a third component is added to a binary mixture to effect the complete separation by forming an azeotrope with one or both of the feed components and removing the azeotrope thus forming usually as an overhead product. Azeotropic distillation A binary azeotropic system containing ethanol and water forms an minimum boiling azeotrope at 96% by weight ethanol. In this process mixture containing 96% alcohol is fed to first column, benzene is used as an entrainer forms low boiling azeotrope which is removed as top product and nearly pure alcohol is taken out as bottom product. The overhead from the first column is condensed, phase separation is achieved in a decanter. Azeotropic distillation The benzene rich phase from the decanter is return to the first column and water rich phase is sent to second distillation column. The overhead from the second column containing benzene is a major proportion is fed back to the first column, while the aqueous solution of alcohol is taken out as bottom product. It is then fed to third column which gives an alcohol-water azeotrope as overhead product and pure water as bottom product. Thus net effect is to obtain pure alcohol and pure water from alcohol-water azeotrope. Extractive distillation
Extractive distillation refers to the distillation process
wherein a high boiling solvent is added to alter the relative volatilities of the constituents of a feed mixture. It is necessary to alter the relative volatility of the original constituents because of similarity of the vapor pressures of the constituents or the presence of an azeotrope. Extractive distillation
The solvent selected is less than volatile than either of two
constituents and so as to maintain a high concentration of the solvent throughout the column it is usually introduced a few stages below the top stage. Example - Separation of toluene and isooctane using phenol as extractive solvent. Batch distillation In Batch distillation the feed is charged to the stillpot to which heat is supplied continuously through a steam jacket. As the mixture boils it generates a vapor richer in more volatiles. But as boiling continues concentration of more volatile in the liquid decreases. The vapor is led to a condenser and condensate or top product is collected in a receiver. Batch distillation At the beginning the condensate will be pretty rich in the more volatiles but the concentration will decreases as condensate keeps on accumulating in the receiver.
The condensate is usually withdrawn intermittently having products or cuts
of different concentration. Batch distillation
It is used when feed rate is not large enough to justify the
installation of a continuous distillation unit.
It may also be used when the continuous greatly differ in