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The effect of surface active agents on interphase mass transfer
Author(s) -
Burnett J. C.,
Himmelblau D. M.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.690160207
Subject(s) - chemistry , mass transfer , absorption (acoustics) , marangoni effect , amide , amine gas treating , aqueous solution , interphase , ammonia , active site , mass transfer coefficient , hydrocarbon , organic chemistry , thermodynamics , chromatography , surface tension , materials science , catalysis , physics , genetics , biology , composite material
The effect of various soluble and insoluble surface active agents on the absorption of ammonia into a static aqueous system was studied. Saturated straight‐chain hydrocarbons with four to twenty‐two carbon atoms and polar end groups were selected as the surface active agents to be studied. Alcohol, amine, and amide end groups were investigated. Most of the insoluble surface active agents, which were studied as films, were found to decrease the ammonia absorption rate. There was a definite correlation between the amount of mass transfer reduction and the hydrocarbon chain length, while the effect of the various end groups appeared to depend on the chain length. Surface mass transfer coefficients were computed for each surface active agent that retarded mass transfer. Most of the soluble surface active agents were found to increase the ammonia absorption rates. For all cases of enhanced mass transfer, movements in the interface could be observed. It was concluded that the interfacial movements were caused by the Marangoni effect. In general, as the chain length of the surface active agent decreased, the mass transfer enhancement increased. A mathematical model based on a surface renewal theory was fitted to the experimental data.