Chemical Engineering 401

Experiment 9

Ion Exchange


Purpose

The principles and physics of ion exchange chromatography is an example of adsorption phenomena. This experimental station is designed to elucidate the practical relation between the theory and experiment in an important separation process.


Brief Description of the Station

There are two experimental units, batch and column adsorbers. The batch adsorbers are stirred flasks with which one determines the sorption isotherms and diffusion in the ion exchange resin. The second apparatus is a a column packed with ion exchange resin through which flows the sorbate. Data taken from this device may be used to determine intra- and extra-particle mass transfer.


Typical Experiments

What is the effect of temperature on equilibrium sorption of Copper Sulfate from water solution ? Determine the sorption isotherms for ion exchange resins of two different sizes at at least three different temperatures. What are the batch sorption kinetics ? Can the intraparticle diffusion be measured ?

What is the effect of flow rate on the breakthrough of Copper Sulfate in a packed column adsorber ?

How does particle size affct the performance of an ion exchange column? How severe is axial dispersion on breakthrough ?

Can you obtain good correspondence between the adsorption model and the experimental measurements ?



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