Study On Liquid-Liquid Extraction Of Furfural Aqueous Solution

The recent methods of separating furfural from its aqueous solution were reviewed in this paper. Some new research and discussion were carried out on the basis of the predecessors, Thus an advanced method of liquid-liquid extraction combined with distillation to separate furfural from its aqueous solution and the simulation calculation of the process were put forward by the selection of a proper extraction solvent (trichloroethylene).Different influencing factors on the liquid-liquid equilibrium such as stirring time, stirring velocity, settling time and temperature etc. were studied in detail, on the base of which the liquid-liquid equilibrium data of furfural-water, trichloroethylene-water and furfural-water- trichloroethylene system were tested, and the interaction parameters of UNIQUAC and NRTL equation were correlated by minimalization Square method, thus the binary and ternary LLE data were simulated. The results showed that UNIQUAC equation has the minor deviation.Multi-plate counter-flow extraction tower and the liquid-liquid equilibrium pot were designed. Experiments of counter-flow extraction and cross-current extraction were conducted, considering influencing factors such as solvent ratio,stirring velocity, raw material concentration and extraction plates. The results of the simulation by the methods of Phase Partition Coefficient and Plate-by -plate Calculation were compared with experiment, which showed a minor deviation, it was proved that the simulation result can predict precisely the experiment result. Fundamental references were provided for further study on separation of furfural and water and the industrialization . the Liquid-liquid extraction method could be used not only in the purification of furfural, but also in the recovering of furfural from industrial papermaking waste water.