Defining new parameters for green engineering design of treatment reactors

Abstract

This study proposes a green way to design Plug Flow Reactors (PFR) that use biodegradable polymer solutions, capable of contaminant retaining, for industrial wastewater treatment. Usually, to the design of a reactor, the reaction rate is determined by tests on a Continuous Stirred-Tank (CST), these generate toxic effluents and also increase the cost of the design. In this work, empirical expressions (called “slip functions”), in terms of the average concentration of the contaminant, were developed through the study of the transport behaviour of CrVI into solutions of xanthan gum. “In situ” XRμF was selected as a no-invasive micro-technique to determine local concentrations. Slip functions were used with laboratory experiments planned in similar conditions using Plug Flow Reactors, to obtain useful dimensionless parameters for the industrial design.