Thin layer extraction

As each of the species to be separated associates differently with the host, the composition of the raffinate and strip product is differentiated.

The low mass transfer resistance permits the uncoupling of effects attributed to mass transfer from the effects attributed to the reaction rates; it also allows relatively frequent cycling that helps mitigate the limited capacity that is due to the small batches of aqueous feed processed within each cycle.

A secondary characteristic of thin layer extraction arises from the batch periodic mode of operation.

[3] The extractant, including the host, must be substantially insoluble in the processed aqueous solutions to avoid being washed away.

The multistage thin layer extraction equipment is linearly scalable, permitting results obtained on table-top laboratory devices to be directly scaled up to full-scale production plants.