Modeling of supercritical fluid extraction of phenanthrene from clayey soil

The supercritical fluid (SFC) extraction efficiency of phenanthrene from clayey soils was modeled. The model accounts for effective diffusion of the phenanthrene in the solid pores, axial dispersion in the fluid phase, and external mass transfer to the fluid phase from the particle surface. This model, involving partial differential equations, was solved using the finite difference. The model showed the relationship between diffusivity, mass transfer coefficient, and properties of porous media (clay texture). The porous media analysis was performed with a microscope and by an image analysis. The proposed model compared well with the experimental data available in the literature.