Mass Transfer Behavior of a Rotating Packed Bed of Raschig Rings Suitable for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

The mass transfer behavior of a rotating packed bed of Raschig rings was examined to increase the rate of liquid-solid diffusion-controlled reactions common in the production of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and wastewater treatment. The aim was to measure the enhancing effect of the centrifugal force and the high area per unit volume of the bed, using diffusion-controlled copper dissolution in acidified dichromate as the experimental approach and the bed rotation speed, the Raschig ring diameter, and the bed height as variables. A dimensionless mass transfer equation suited for scaling up and reactor design was used to correlate the data. Measurement of the specific mechanical power consumption e of the rotating bed under different conditions revealed that the energy utilization efficiency increases with decreasing bed rotation speed.

Toward Higher Resource Efficiency in Solid–Fluid Reactions: Dye Adsorption Study on the Planetary Rotating Bed Reactor

“…Notably, these scale-down reactors were developed as a tool for the investigation of catalyst properties and reaction kinetics rather than industrial use . The use of a rotating packed bed of catalyst to facilitate liquid–gas mass transfer was investigated in several studies over the past decades. , Recently, a rotating packed bed of Raschig rings in a cylindrical spinning basket reactor was as well proposed to enhance liquid–solid mass transfer, combining principles of the PBR and RCR.…”

“…12 The use of a rotating packed bed of catalyst to facilitate liquid−gas mass transfer was investigated in several studies over the past decades. 12,13 Recently, a rotating packed bed of Raschig rings in a cylindrical spinning basket reactor was as well proposed to enhance liquid−solid mass transfer, 13 combining principles of the PBR and RCR.…”