ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Calorimetric Studies of CO₂ Absorption into Toluene/Water Emulsions

H. Kierzkowska-Pawlak and R. Zarzycki

Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Lódź, PL-90-924 Lódź, Poland

Received: 19 May 2000

Abstract: Absorption of CO2 into toluene/water emulsions was investigated at 293 K using a reaction calorimeter. The experimental results on Henry's constants for CO₂ indicated that the gas solubility in toluene/water emulsions could be calculated from the solubilities in the pure liquids. The molar heats of absorption were found to decrease with increasing toluene fraction in the emulsion. The observed mass transfer rates were considerably higher than the absorption rates predicted by the absorption model. Moreover, the enhancement factor, which was defined as the ratio of the mass transfer rate in the presence of the microphase to that in its absence, was found to decrease with an increase in stirring rate. The present results confirmed the earlier assumption of the probable existence of a very thin toluene layer on the top of the emulsion. However, contrary to the previous studies of this system, the observed enhancement factors were not time-dependent. The above disagreement can be explained by differences in estimating the volumetric liquid side mass transfer coefficient for CO₂ absorption into emulsion.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 546ba437.pdf

Chemical Papers 54 (6b) 437–441 (2000)