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Fabricating High-viscosity Droplets using Microfluidic Capillary Device with Phase-inversion Co-flow Structure
Published on: April 17, 2018
Evaporative mass transfer behavior of a complex immiscible liquid
Colleen M McColl1, Gwynn R Johnson, Mark L Brusseau
1Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States.
Chemosphere
|July 11, 2008
Summary
This study investigated the mass transfer of contaminants in immiscible liquids from a Superfund site. Residual phase contaminants evaporated ideally, while free-phase contaminants showed rate-limited removal, impacting remediation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Superfund sites often contain complex mixtures of immiscible liquids.
- Understanding contaminant mass transfer is crucial for effective site remediation.
- The Picillo Farm Superfund Site in Rhode Island provided a real-world contaminant mixture for study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the liquid-vapor mass-transfer behavior of a complex, multi-component immiscible liquid.
- To compare mass-transfer dynamics in free-phase versus residual-phase contaminant scenarios.
- To determine the influence of porous media on contaminant volatilization.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of the immiscible liquid using gas chromatography and GC/MS.
- Batch experiments to determine equilibrium phase-partitioning.
- Air-stripping column studies simulating free-phase and residual-phase conditions.
- Analysis of target compound elution and vapor-phase concentrations.
Main Results:
- Initial elution of target compounds was ideal in both free-phase and residual-phase systems.
- 1,2-dichlorobenzene removal was rate-limited in free-phase systems without porous media.
- Evaporative mass transfer was ideal in residual-phase systems within a sandy porous medium.
Conclusions:
- The physical state (free vs. residual phase) and presence of porous media significantly affect contaminant mass-transfer dynamics.
- Residual-phase contaminants in porous media exhibit more ideal evaporative behavior.
- Findings inform remediation strategies for sites contaminated with complex immiscible liquids.
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