Unit Operations
A process that does not include any chemical reaction is known as a unit
operation. Unit operations deal with only physical changes in the substances
involved in the process. They are equipment that produces physical changes
in materials.
Physical alterations are made for a variety of reasons. In general, unit
operations steps are performed before putting materials into chemical
reactions to ensure that chemical reactions go smoothly.
Physical changes can include evaporation, condensation, crystallization, and
other phase changes. Because condensation and evaporation take place
inside the column, distillation is a unit operation process. Crystallizers and
evaporators are also part of the unit operations.
Mechanical processes such as physical separations, size reduction, grinding,
and mixing are also performed using unit operation equipment. The mass
transfer and heat transfer processes may happen together without any
chemical process.
The unit operations are classified in the following manner [1]:
• Fluid flow operations: Fluidization, compression, pumping, etc.
• Mechanical operations: Size reduction, mixing agitation, size
enlargement, blending, classification-separation, filtration, etc.
• Mass transfer: Distillation, crystallization, evaporation, leaching,
adsorption, absorption, extraction, etc.
• Heat transfer: When materials are handled, heat transfer can occur by
any fundamental mechanism; convection, conduction, or radiation.
Usually, two fundamental mechanisms occur simultaneously.
1 Distillation
In process engineering, the controlled boiling and condensation of a
constituent in a liquid mixture is termed distillation. It is a separation
technique that may either increase the concentration of a certain component
in a mixture or extract (almost) pure constituents from it. When two liquids
have different boiling points, distillation takes advantage of this by forcing
one of the liquids into the gaseous state
On a lab scale, liquid mixtures are commonly distilled in batches, but
industrial distillation operations are usually continuous, requiring a consistent
mixture composition to be maintained.
Dalton and Raoult’s Laws in Distillation
For the boiling of a liquid, it needs to raise the temperature of the liquid to the
point where vapor pressure becomes equal to the ambient pressure. At the
boiling temperature, vapor bubbles begin to develop at the bottom of the
vessel, which causes the liquid to evaporate.
The distillation process for a combination of liquids is governed by Raoult and
Dalton laws. Raoult’s law states that an ideal combination of liquid
components has a single component with the same molecular weight as the
other components and the same vapor pressure [2]. Using the law of partial
pressure, which was developed by William Dalton, we can calculate the
overall pressure exerted by a gas combination [3].
The vapor pressure of the different components increases when a mixture of
liquids is heated, resulting in an increase in the overall vapor pressure. As a
result, the combination cannot have numerous boiling points with a given
composition and pressure.
Impossibility of Complete Purification of a Component from Mixture by
Distillation
When a combination of liquids reaches its boiling point, all volatile
constituents boil. The amount of a component in the resulting vapor, on the
other hand, is measured by its contribution to the overall vapor pressure of
the mixture. As a result, chemicals with greater partial pressures can have a
higher fraction in the vapor phase, whereas those with lower partial pressures
can have a high fraction in the liquid phase.
It is challenging and almost impossible to extract a perfectly pure component
from a combination by distillation because a component in the liquid mixture
cannot comprise zero partial pressure. When one of the components in the
combination has a partial pressure near zero, high purity components can be
obtained.
Types of Distillation
The following are some of the most important distillation types:
1.1 Fractional Distillation
Fractional distillation is commonly utilized for liquids mixture with comparable
boiling points. Several vaporization-condensation stages are involved (which
take place in a fractional column). This is also referred to as the correction.
When the liquid mixture is put under heat, it evaporates and rises into the
fractionating column. The vapors are then condensed by cooling on the walls
of the condenser. The heated vapors from the distilling unit can heat the
condensed vapor again, resulting in the formation of fresh vapors, and some
fractions of these vapors are sent back to the distillation column. There are
many of these vaporization-condensation cycles, and the quality of the
distillate increases with each one.
1.2 Steam Distillation
When a liquid mixture contains components that are sensitive to heat, steam
distillation is often employed to separate them. This is operationalized by
passing steam through the slightly heated mixture to evaporate part of it.
This approach produces a high heat-transfer rate without necessitating high
temperatures. Condensation of the resulting vapor gives the requisite
distillate. Steam distillation is a process for isolating essential oils and herb
distillates from a range of aromatic plants and flowers.
1.3 Vacuum Distillation
In order to separate desired components from a liquid mixture with high
boiling points, vacuum distillation is ideal. Boiling these substances at high
temperatures is an inadequate method of separating them. As a need, the
external pressure is reduced. The component can boil at lower temperatures
with reduced external pressure. When the vapor pressure of a component
equals the ambient pressure, it transforms into a vapor. Condensing the
vapors and collecting them produces distillate. The vacuum distillation
technique can also be utilized to acquire high-purity compounds that
deteriorate at high temperatures when heated for a longer duration [4].
1.4 Air-Sensitive Vacuum Distillation
The vacuum distillation technique is used for substances that are sensitive to
air and easily react with it, but the vacuum must be substituted with an inert
gas after the procedure is over [5]. This approach is known as air-sensitive
vacuum distillation.
1.5 Short Path Distillation
Short path distillation is being used to purify a little amount of a volatile
molecule at high temperatures. This type of distillation is performed at lower
pressures, and the distillate usually travels a short distance before becoming
collected (thus the name “short path”). Because the distillate travels a shorter
distance, the equipment walls experience a lesser rate of loss.
1.6 Zone Distillation
Zone distillation partly compels a substance and condenses the vapors to
obtain a pure distillate. With the use of a zone heater, this is accomplished in
a long vessel.
1.7 Important Applications
Many water purification procedures rely heavily on distillation. Several
desalination facilities use this approach to get drinking water from saltwater.
Distilled water is utilized in a variety of applications, including lead-acid
batteries and low-volume humidifiers. This method is used to cleanse a wide
range of fermented products, including alcoholic beverages.
Distillation is used to make several fragrances and food flavorings from plants
and herbs. Oil stabilization is a sort of distillation that lowers the vapor
pressure of crude oil, allowing it to be safely stored and transported.
The cryogenic distillation method may be used to separate air into nitrogen,
oxygen, and argon. On a larger scale, distillation is used to purify liquid
products derived through chemical synthesis.
2 Extraction
Extraction is a basic method for isolating a single chemical from a mixture.
Liquid/liquid, liquid/solid, and acid/base (also known as chemically active
extraction) are the three most prevalent extraction methods [6].
2.1 Liquid-Liquid Extraction
Two immiscible liquids are used in a liquid/liquid extraction. Immiscible liquids
do not dissolve in one another; instead, they form layers when put in the same
vessel. Immiscibility occurs when two liquids with opposite polarity mix.
Diethyl ether or ether and water are the most commonly utilized extraction
solvents. Polarity is a subjective concept; ether is nonpolar, whereas water is
polar. Two phases appear when one is added to the other due to their distinct
polarity. The density of an extraction solvent determines its position (top or
bottom layer). Because ether has a density of 0.71 g/cm3 and H2O has a
density of 1.0 g/cm3, ether is always the upper phase when the extraction
solvent combination is ether and water.
2.2 Solid-Liquid Extraction
The soluble compounds of a solid matter, consisting of an inert matrix and an
active agent, are recovered by a solvent in the solid-liquid extraction
principle. The extract can be incorporated in either solid or liquid form in the
extraction materials. It can be found in cells, such as oil in seeds, or as a thin
dispersion over solid substances, such as caffeine in coffee.
2.3 Acid-Base Extraction
Acid-base extraction is also referred to as liquid-liquid extraction. It generally
involves different degrees of water solubility and an organic solvent. As an
organic solvent, any carbon-based liquid that does not dissolve well in water
can be employed; prominent examples include ethyl acetate, ether, and
dichloromethane [7].
The acid-base extraction technique is often dependent on the acid-base
characteristics of the constituents. The approach is based on the idea that
most organic substances are more soluble in organic solvents than in water.
When an organic compound becomes ionic, it becomes more water-soluble
than it was in the organic solvent. Adding or removing a proton (to form an
H+ ion) will easily transform these substances into ions (a negative ion).
3 Gas Absorption and Desorption
The action of contacting a gas mixture with a liquid to selectively dissolve one
or more gas mixture components and form a solution for them in the liquid is
known as gas absorption (also known as scrubbing).
As a result, the mass transfer of a gas component from the gas phase to the
liquid phase may be observed. The solute is said to be absorbed by the liquid.
Gas desorption (or stripping) involves mass transfer from the liquid to the gas
phase rather than the reverse. Both systems have the same basic concepts.
Therefore, the diffusion of solute from the gas phase through a stationary or
non-diffusing liquid is a part of the gas absorption process.
Chemical vs. Physical Absorption
Chemical and physical adsorption are the two types of absorption processes,
depending on whether there is a chemical or physical interaction between
the solute and the solvent (absorbent).
Physical absorption happens when water or hydrocarbon oils are utilized as
absorbents since there are no major chemical interactions between the
absorbent and the solute.
A quick and irreversible neutralization process occurs in the liquid phase
when a strong base is used as an absorbent to dissolve an acid gas.
Processes such as chemical or reactive absorption are other names for the
same phenomenon.
Processes for absorbing H2S and CO2 using an aqueous solution of
monoethanolamine (MEA), diethylene glycol (DEG), diethanolamine (DEA), or
trimethylene glycol (TEG), in which a reversible chemical reaction occurs in
the liquid phase, are considered complicated types of chemical absorption.
Chemical reactions can improve the rate of absorption, the solvent’s
absorption capacity, and selectivity, allowing just particular components of
the gas to be dissolved and transforming a harmful chemical into a harmless
product.
4 Crystallization
When a solution crystallizes, a solid phase separates from the liquid phase.
The dispersion phase, which comprises many solid particles, acts as the final
product, ensuring that the requirements are satisfied. The process of
crystallization, then, maybe thought of as one of generating solids. In order to
meet customers’ ever-increasing demands on particulate properties such as
distribution of particle size, crystal form, caking behavior, degree of
coagulation, and purity, the crystallization process is meticulously regulated
and monitored. Additional filterability and washability criteria might be
implemented because the particles must be easily removed from the mother
liquid.
Solid particle creation is a lengthy process because the solid phase’s most
rigid structure and large vessels are usually required to obtain an acceptable
production rate. This stiff structure prevents extraneous components or
solvent molecules from entering the system, resulting in a pure solid product
only after one separation stage.
Cooling or evaporative crystallization, precipitation, and melt crystallization
are all referred to as crystallization. However, the three forms of crystallization
differ significantly in terms of processing procedures and associated
equipment. Solute and antisolvent are dissolved in a solvent, precipitating the
solid phase by mixing the two input streams. As a result, the hydrodynamics
of the process has a considerable impact on precipitation in terms of product
quality.
Melt crystallization takes advantage of the capability of crystallization to
generate a pure product, and the solid phase is remolten to achieve the final
product. The uses are mostly in the ultra-purification of organic molecules or
as a concentration technique for producing pure water.
5 Membrane Separation Processes
Membrane separations are separate kinds of unit operations. A semi-
permeable membrane that separates components of a mixture or solution by
selectively directing their migration from one side of the membrane to the
other is used in the membrane process to partly separate a feed containing a
mixture of two or more components. Particles or molecules bigger than the
membrane pores are rejected on the upstream side in certain circumstances,
while in others, they flow through the membranes at varying speeds based on
their molecular weights or volumes, allowing separation
5.1 Classification of Membrane Processes
Membrane processes are divided into three categories of pressure-driven
membrane filtration [8]:
• Ultrafiltration (UF) is used to separate organics having molecular
weights of more than 5000.
• Nanofiltration (NF) separates divalent salts and organics while allowing
monovalent salts like NaCl to permeate.
• Microfiltration (MF) is used to separate colloidal and micron-sized
particles and microorganisms.
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) is used for highly effective salt separation,
including NaCl and soluble organics.
All of these processes are triggered by external pressure. A particular
transmembrane pressure is required to enable the water to flow through the
membrane. Membranes having a characteristic porous structure are utilized
in microfiltration and ultrafiltration operations. Surface filtering is the most
common separation process in MF/UF (straining, size exclusion). Particulate
materials, such as inorganic particles, germs, and viruses, may be removed
via these membrane mechanisms.
Dense membranes with smaller holes are utilized in reverse osmosis and its
low-pressure counterpart nanofiltration. Dissolution and diffusion are used to
move molecules across the membrane (or at least, that is how it works).
Particles and dissolved inorganic or organic contaminants may be removed
from water using reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. It should be
emphasized that distinguishing between porous and nonporous (dense)
membranes is difficult and mostly a matter of terminology. Nanofiltration
membranes, in particular, occupy a middle ground. Nanofiltration
membranes have a size-exclusion effect, while reverse osmosis membranes
may remove practically all dissolved species. Small molecules and ions flow
through the membranes, whereas larger ions and molecules are trapped.
Furthermore, surface charges on nanofiltration membranes are common,
especially negative ones induced by ionized functional groups like carbonic
acid groups. Electrostatic effects also have an impact on separation
efficiency in this scenario. Negatively charged ions are rejected owing to
repulsion forces, while positive ions are denied on both sides of the
membrane to preserve electroneutrality. As a result, the size and charge of
the solutes impact the rejection. As a result, nanofiltration membranes
selectively reject bigger bivalent ions (Ca+2, Mg+2, SO2-4). Desalination is
commonly accomplished using reverse osmosis, whereas sulfate ions,
hardness, and bigger organic molecules with a molecular mass of more than
150 g/mol are removed through nanofiltration.
