Oil-water separation scheme or equipment?
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This post was last edited by FORREST_GUMP on 2015-12-26 at 12:47. I have a mixture of oil and water, with the oil layer accounting for about 60% and the water layer 40%. The main components in the oil layer are toluene and xylene, accounting for about 90%, along with small amounts of methanol, phenol, etc. The aqueous layer mainly contains sodium salicylate, at a concentration of about 1%. Now, I want to recover sodium salicylate from water, preferably in an automated manner. I hope everyone can help by recommending suitable equipment or solutions. Thank you!
Sodium salicylate: white flakes or powder, odorless; turns pink when exposed to light for a long time. Soluble in water and glycerin; insoluble in organic solvents such as ether, chloroform, and benzene. It is flammable when exposed to fire. It is mainly used in painkillers and rheumatism drugs, as well as in organic synthesis. Obtained by crystallization after neutralizing salicylic acid with a base. Based on this property, (depressurized) distillation can be considered: first, toluene and xylene, accounting for about 90% of the mixture, along with small amounts of methanol and phenol, are distilled off; water is also removed in this process, and finally dehydration and drying are carried out. Many devices are required: a distillation kettle, a vacuum pump, a receiving tank, a condenser, and dehydration drying equipment.
I don’t want it to be so complicated; what I really want is simple filtering. Currently, simple bag filters are being used, but the filter bags tend to break easily, and manual removal of the covers for cleaning is required, which is quite troublesome.
First, the organic matter should be separated, and then the water should be treated. Because sodium salicylate is water-soluble.
Is there a solution that doesn’t require oil-water separation?
Through (depressurized) distillation, toluene and xylene, accounting for about 90% of the mixture, along with small amounts of methanol and phenol, are distilled off; water is also removed in this process, and finally dehydration and drying are carried out.
I just want a simple filtering; I don’t need any other unit operations.
Centrifuge separation or vibration filter
This one has a high oil content, so it’s better to separate the oil and water first (a simple float control will work well for this separation); after that, just do whatever is simplest