Determinação do coeficiente de transferência de massa na remoção de propanona por absorção

Abstract

Air pollution from industries has been a frequently discussed topic today, generating the need to carry out studies on ways to reduce these impacts. Propanone is classified as a VOC (volatile organic compound) because it is a substance that in high concentrations generates risks to human health; and as it is present in industrial gas effluents, it is necessary to search for appropriate means to purify these gases. To carry out this type of treatment, studies focused on mass transfer through absorption were developed. The present work aims to determine the volumetric mass transfer coefficient of the liquid phase, KLa, in the removal of propanone present in the air by water using a stuffed absorption tower. The equipment used is 1,00 m high, 0,07 m in diameter and 0,79 m high filling glass rings. 33 experiments were carried out, at room temperature, at flow rates varying between 0,86 and 1,04 L min-1 of water and 0,4 to 1,2 L min-1 of air, in which, after contact between the liquid and gaseous streams, the Water samples are taken at an interval of 0 to 3,5 min to quantify the transferred propanone. The volumetric mass transfer coefficients on the liquid side obtained belonged to a range of 0,0044 to 0,0277 s-1, with a greater influence of the air flow on the KLa values in relation to the influence of the liquid flow. The equation developed in the dimensional analysis proved to be coherent, presenting an average error of 24%, and, when compared with some methods available in the literature, a better performance was observed, evidenced by the average error difference equivalent to more than 9%. Therefore, this study proved to be effective in the propanone transfer process, adding new data and empirical equations for the study of KLa.