Reactive Extraction of Butyric Acid Using Tri-Octyl Amine in Decanol

Abstract

The application of reactive extraction for the separation of butyric acid from its aqueous solution is a relatively new technique. It has many uses in different industries, and currently there is a great interest in using it as a precursor to biofuels. Research works are available on equilibrium study of the reactive extraction of butyric acid where aliquat-336 and tri-butyl phosphate were used as the reactive extractant. But no one has used TOA as the extractant, and nowhere study on the kinetic behaviour of reactive extraction of butyric acid has been done. Also the detailed study on the effect of temperature on the Butyric acid-TOA- Decanol system is unavailable. The present research work has focused on the reactive extraction of butyric acid from its aqueous solution using Tri-Octyl-Amine (TOA) in the active diluent decanol. Equilibrium and kinetic studies was performed at very low concentrations of butyric acid in water viz. 0.05M to 0.3M at 250C, 300C, 350C and 400C. The effect of temperature on the extraction equilibrium and kinetics was considered. In the equilibrium study, the complexation constant (KE(1:1) ) was evaluated and the type of complex formed was also determined. The distribution coefficient (KD) and extraction efficiency (E%), were determined. In the kinetic study, the order of the reaction (n), the rate constant (k) and the mass transfer coefficient (KL) were found from the experimental data. Extraction efficiency (E%) of 98% and distribution coefficient (KD) of 49 has been achieved at 400C. The order of the reaction (n) has been found to be 1. The mass transfer coefficient (KL) has been found to be 10.77×10-3 cm/min.