MULTIPLE STAGE

COUNTER CURRENT
LEACHING
CHAPTER 3
PROCESS PRINCIPLES

1. Three components, solute (A), inert solid (B) and solvent ( C )

2. Composition of V & L– denoted by X & Y
3. Assumption: The solid B is insoluble & the flow rate of solid is
constant
4. The slurry phase L composed of inert solid (B) and solute (A ) and
solvent (C) if any
5. The ideal stages are numbered in the direction of the solids or
underflow stream.
MULTISTAGE COUNTERCURRENT
LEACHING PROCESS FLOW
V1, x1 VN+1, xN+1

L0, y0,N0, B LN,yN, NN, B

L Mass of liquid in underflow solution yA Composition of A at underflow solution

V Mass of solvent in overflow solution xA Composition of A at overflow solution
B Mass of dry, solute – free solid.

Figure 1
Process flow diagram for counter current leaching process
 MULTISTAGE COUNTERCURRENT
LEACHING CONFIGURATION

Extract/ Solvent/Liquid
overflow stream
Slurry Leached
stream solids/
underflow

Figure 2
Three stages counter current leaching process
 MASS BALANCE
Overall balance over the first n-stages:
𝑉𝑉𝑛𝑛+1 + 𝐿𝐿𝑜𝑜 = 𝑉𝑉1 + 𝐿𝐿𝑛𝑛
𝑉𝑉𝑛𝑛+1 𝑋𝑋𝑛𝑛+1 + 𝐿𝐿𝑜𝑜 𝑌𝑌𝑜𝑜 = 𝑉𝑉1 𝑋𝑋1 + 𝐿𝐿𝑛𝑛 𝑦𝑦𝑛𝑛

Overall balance over total solution :

𝐿𝐿0 + 𝑉𝑉𝑁𝑁+1 = 𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 + 𝑉𝑉1 = 𝑀𝑀 Total solution balance

𝐿𝐿0 𝑦𝑦𝐴𝐴𝐴 + 𝑉𝑉𝑁𝑁+1 𝑥𝑥𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴+1 = 𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 𝑦𝑦𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 + 𝑉𝑉1 𝑥𝑥𝐴𝐴𝐴 = 𝑀𝑀𝑥𝑥𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 Comp. A balance

𝐵𝐵 = 𝑁𝑁0 𝐿𝐿0 = 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁 𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 = 𝑁𝑁𝑀𝑀 𝑀𝑀 Solid balance

 LO
N LN

N vs YA

EQUILIBRIUM M

DIAGRAM
YA, XA,
VN+1 V1

Point Δ is located graphically as the

intersection of lines L0V1 and LNVN+1
MULTIPLE STAGES COUNTER CURRENT LEACHING

1. Locate L0
2. Draw line L0Δ to locate V1
3. A tie line through V1 locates L1
4. Line L1Δ is drawn given V2
5. A tie line gives L2

This is continued until the desired LN is reached

 M U LT I S TA G E

EXAMPLE
COUNTER
CURRENT
SOLID LIQUID
EXTRAC TI ON
A continuous countercurrent multistage system is to be used to leach oil from
meal by benzene solvent. The process is to treat 2000 kg/h of inert solid meal
(B) containing 800 kg oil (A) and also 50 kg benzene (C). The inlet flow per hour
of fresh solvent mixture contains 1310 kg benzene and 20 kg oil. The leached
solids are to contain 120 kg oil.

Data in Table 1 is N kg inert solid B/kg solution and yA kg oil A/kg solution

Table 1
N inert kg solid B/kg solution
N 2.00 1.98 1.94 1.89 1.82 1.75 1.68 1.61
YA 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

Calculate the amounts of the exit streams and number of theoretical stages
required in this process
PROCESS FLOW
Overflow solution Solvent Feed
V1, x1 VN+1, xN+1
Feed Slurry Underflow solution
L0, N0, y0, B LN, NN, yN, B

Feed slurry (L0):

A = 800 kg/h B = 2000 kg/h C = 50 kg/h
Entering solvent (VN+1 )
A = 20 kg/h B = 0 kg/h C = 1310 kg/h
Underflow solution (LN):

A =120 kg/h B = 2000 kg/h C = ?? kg/h

Find coordinate L0.
 Mass of A = 800 kg/h

 Mass of B = 2000 kg/h

 Mass of C = 50 kg/h
A A 800 800
y A0 = = = = = 0.94
L0 A + C 800 + 50 850
B B 2000 2000
N0 = = = = = 2.35
L0 A + C 800 + 50 850
Coordinate for L0 = (yA0 , N0) = (0.94 , 2.35)
Find coordinate VN+1.
 Mass of A = 20 kg/h

 Mass of B = 0 kg/h

 Mass of C = 1310 kg/h

A A 20 20
x N +1 = = = = = 0.015
VN +1 A + C 20 + 1310 1330
B B 0
N N +1 = = = =0
VN +1 A + C 20 + 1310
Coordinate for VN+1 = (xN+1 , NN+1) = (0.015 , 0)
Find coordinate LN.
Mass of A = 120 kg/h

Mass of B = 2000 kg/h

Mass of C = ?? kg/h
NN
Slope of graph,
yN
B
N N LN B 2000
= = = = 16.67 → N = 16.67 y
yN A A 120
LN

If y = 0.1, N = 16.67 x 0.1 = 1.67

Plot New Coordinate (y , N) = (0.1 , 1.67)

 Find coordinate M

Total solution balance:

L0 + VN +1 = LN + V1 = M
L0 + VN +1 = M
850 + 1330 = M M = 2180 kg

Component A balance: Solid balance:

L0 y A0 + VN +1 x N +1 = Mx AM B = N 0 L0 = N N LN = N M M

(850)(0.94) + (1330)(0.015) = (2180)x AM N 0 L0 = N M M

x AM = 0.376
(2.35)(850) = N M (2180) N M = 0.916

Coordinate for M (xM , NM) = (0.376 , 0.916)

Staging in Equilibrium
Diagram
Coordinates….
Coordinate for L0 (yA0 , N0) = (0.94 , 2.35)

Coordinate for VN+1 (xN+1 , NN+1) = (0.015 , 0)

Coordinate LN. (y , N) = (0.1 , 1.67)

Coordinate for M (xM , NM) = (0.376 , 0.916)

Point Δ is located graphically as the
intersection of lines L0V1 and LNVN+1

To determine number of stages

– Locate L0
– Draw line L0Δ to locate V1
– A tie line through V1 locates L1
– Line L1Δ is drawn given V2
– A tie line gives L2
– This is continued until the desired LN is
reached
RECAP…..
1. Locate L0
2. Draw line L0Δ to locate V1
3. A tie line through V1 locates L1
4. Line L1Δ is drawn given V2
5. A tie line gives L2

This is continued until the desired

LN is reached
 From material balance calculation:
Total solution balance:
V1 = 2180 − LN → Eq.(1)

Component A balance:
𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 𝑦𝑦𝑁𝑁 + 𝑉𝑉1 𝑥𝑥1 = 𝑀𝑀𝑥𝑥𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴
𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 0.12 + 𝑉𝑉1 0.592 = 2180 0.376 → Eq. (2) 𝑉𝑉1 = 2180 − 𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 → Eq. 1
𝑉𝑉1 = 2180 − 997.62
Insert Eq. 1 into equation (2)
𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 0.12 + 2180 − 𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 0.592 = 2180 0.376 𝑉𝑉1 = 1182.38 kg
0.12𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 + 1290.56 − 0.592𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 = 819.68
0.472𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 = 470.88, 𝐿𝐿𝑁𝑁 = 997.62 kg
Construct the stages:
3
LN L3 L2
2 L1 L0
M
1
V1
0 VN +1
-0.4 -0.2 -1 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

-2
N

-3
-4
-5
∆P -6
-7
x A, y A
THANK YOU