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Seminar
On
Distillation
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Index
Introduction
Distillation
Types of Distillation
Applications of Distillation
Uses of Distillation
Advantages of Distillation
Disadvantages of Distillation
Conclusion
Introduction
Distillation is a widely used method for separating mixtures
based on differences in the conditions required to change the
phase of components of the mixture. To separate a mixture of
liquids, the liquid can be heated to force components, which
have different boiling points, into the gas phase. The gas is
then condensed back into liquid form and collected. Repeating
the process on the collected liquid to improve the purity of the
product is called double distillation. Although the term is most
commonly applied to liquids, the reverse process can be used
to separate gases by liquefying components using changes in
temperature and/or pressure.
A plant that performs distillation is called a distillery. The
apparatus used to perform distillation is called a still.
Distillation
Distillation is used to separate two liquids of
sufficiently different boiling points.
An equilibrium between vaporizing and condensing in
a distillation column allows for the separation of
liquids.
Most of the lower boiling liquid is collected in a
receiver vial while most of the higher boiling liquid
remains in the original flask.
Types of Distillation
Some important types of distillation include:
Simple distillation
Fractional distillation
Steam distillation
Vacuum distillation
Air-sensitive vacuum distillation
Short path distillation
Zone distillation
Simple Distillation
Simple distillation involves heating the liquid mixture to
the boiling point and immediately condensing the resulting
vapors.
This method is only effective for mixtures wherein the
boiling points of the liquids are considerably different (a
minimum difference of 25oC).
The purity of the distillate (the purified liquid) is governed
by Raoult’s law.
Fractional Distillation
Fractional distillation is often used to separate mixtures of liquids that
have similar boiling points. It involves several vaporization-
condensation steps (which takes place in a fractioning column). This
process is also known as rectification. The apparatus required to
perform a fractional distillation on a mixture is listed below.
Round-bottom flask or distilling flask
A source of heat, which can be a fire or a hot bath.
Receiving flask to collect the condensed vapors
Fractioning column
Thermometer to measure the temperature in the distilling flask
Condenser
Standard Glassware.
When heated, the liquid mixture is converted into vapors that
rise into the fractioning column. The vapors now cool and
condense on the walls of the condenser. The hot vapors
emanating from the distilling flask now heat the condensed
vapor, creating new vapors.
Many such vaporization-condensation cycles take place and the
purity of the distillate improves with every cycle. An illustration
depicting a fractional distillation setup is provided below.
Steam Distillation
• Steam distillation is often used to separate heat-sensitive
components in a mixture.
• This is done by passing steam through the mixture (which is
slightly heated) to vaporize some of it. The process
establishes a high heat-transfer rate without the need for high
temperatures.
• The resulting vapor is condensed to afford the required
distillate.
• The process of steam distillation is used to obtain essential
oils and herbal distillates from several aromatic
flowers/herbs.
Vacuum Distillation
Vacuum distillation is ideal for separating mixtures of
liquids with very high boiling points.
In order to boil these compounds, heating to high
temperatures is an inefficient method. Therefore, the
pressure of the surroundings is lowered instead.
The lowering of the pressure enables the component to
boil at lower temperatures. Once the vapor pressure of the
component is equal to the surrounding pressure, it is
converted into a vapor.
These vapors are then condensed and collected as the
distillate. The vacuum distillation method is also used to
obtain high-purity samples of compounds that decompose
at high temperatures.
Air-Sensitive Vacuum Distillation
For compounds that are sensitive to air and readily react
with it, the vacuum distillation process is carried out but the
vacuum must be replaced with an inert gas once the process
is complete. Such a process is often referred to as air-
sensitive vacuum distillation.
Short Path Distillation
Short path distillation is used to purify a small quantity of a
compound that is unstable at high temperatures. This is
done under lowered pressure levels and generally involves
the distillate traveling a very small distance before being
collected (hence the name ‘short path’). The reduced
distance traveled by the distillate in this method also
reduces the wastage along the walls of the apparatus.
APPLICATIONS OF DISTILLATION
Distillation plays an important role in many water purification
techniques. Many desalination plants incorporate this method in
order to obtain drinking water from seawater.
Distilled water has numerous applications, such as in lead-acid
batteries and low-volume humidifiers.
Many fermented products such as alcoholic beverages are
purified with the help of this method.
Many perfumes and food flavorings are obtained from herbs and
plants via distillation.
Oil stabilization is an important type of distillation that reduces
the vapor pressure of the crude oil, enabling safe storage and
transportation.
Air can be separated into nitrogen, oxygen, and argon by
employing the process of cryogenic distillation.
Uses of Distillation
Distillation is used for many commercial processes,
such as the production of gasoline, distilled water,
xylene, alcohol, paraffin, kerosene, and many other
liquids.
Gas may be liquefied and separate. For example:
nitrogen, oxygen, and argon are distilled from air.
Advantages of Distillation
It is an efficient method of water softening for smaller
purposes.
It is relatively cheap.
It can also be reused.
Disadvantages of Distillation
As a process of water softening, distillation requires a
keen eye, so that unwanted elements do not mix with
water.
When distillation is done on a larger scale, a very high
amount of energy needed.
The distilled water does not contain any oxygen and is
also very tasteless.
It has very high levels of acidity.
Conclusion
Distillation should not be considered as a method of
water softening because one might end up having
unwanted elements in the distilled water.
For example, liquids that have a boiling point equal to
water will not be separated but will condense with the
water. Moreover; the process requires a lot of energy to
be carried out.
Reference
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