Rate Controlled Separation Processes

Topic contents

A detailed insight is provided into the fundamentals of selected separation processes in modern fine chemistry, bio- and pharmaceutical technology. The following rate-controlled separation processes are studied.

• Crystallization;
  
• Adsorption and Chromatography;
  
• Membrane separation processes;

The following aspects of these processes are discussed:

• Description of equilibrium between the involved fluid and solid phases (i.e. crystalline solid, adsorbent surface, or membrane material)
• Description of involved rate phenomena (nucleation and growth of crystals, mass transfer of the adsorbate, flux across the membrane)
• A detailed discussion of industrially relevant processes (Water desalination, Gas purification, CO2 capture, Production of highly valuble solid products)

Prerequisites

A solid understanding of chemical thermodynamics, particularly liquid-vapor equilibrium (LVE) and phase diagrams (see the script on thermodynamics of the ICE class).

Lecture Notes

Lecture notes, in the form of scripts or slide presentations, can be found protected page here

Exercises

Exercises will be available throughout the lecture, and the corresponding solutions will be provided the week after.
Details can be found protected page here

Office hours

Please contact the corresponding assistent by mail.

• Crystallization: Silvio Trespi
• Membrane separation: Antonio Gasos
  
• Adsorption and chromatography: Nicole Ferru
  

Textbooks

• Wankat P.C., Separation Process Engineering, 2nd edition of Equilibrium-Staged Separations, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007
  
• Rousseau R.W., Handbook of separation process technology, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1987