Distillation and Stripping Systems
Distillation Column

Solvent Recovery

Sutcliffe Speakman also designs and installs equipment to separate solvents into individual components to allow their reuse. The technologies can also be used to remove VOCs from wastewater streams. To ensure optimum performance, systems are designed in-house for each application.

Various methods of solvent/water separation are available, selection being dependent on the component solvents in use and their miscibility with water.
Immiscible Solvents
Decantation of the condensate utilises the different densities of water and solvents, producing solvent which is eminently suitable for re-use.
Miscible Solvents
A number of stripping technologies can be used either singly or in combination.
for more information on solvent volatility and miscibility - refer to the data in the solvent characteristics table.

Distillation

Distillation systems rely on the differing volatilities of individual components. The process enables two or more elements in a vapour or liquid mixture to be separated. The distillation process is thermodynamic using both heating and cooling to achieve the desired purity.

The element having the lower boiling point is boiled off first and is condensed and recovered. The second element having the higher boiling point is recovered from the base of the still.

This technology is applied to:

  • Separating solvents
  • Drying solvents (removing water)
  • Removing trace contaminants from solvents
  • Removing solvent from waste water streams
       (steam stripping)
    		•  Some substances are azeotropic (i.e. liquid mixture whose composition remains the same when vaporised.). Some mixtures may require more than one distillation column, others may require the distillation process conducted at higher pressure. On occasions, certain distillation processes require the addition of another element to permit separation.
    Skid mounted Distillation Unit

    Sutcliffe Speakman has designed and supplied distillations systems from small multi-purpose batch columns, to large multi-column continuous systems for the separation of solvent mixtures.

    Steam and Air Stripping

    Steam stripping can be used to remove solvents from aqueous streams.

    Where solvents are only slightly soluble in water, air stripping can be used. Air is blown up a packed column and contacted with water containing solvent, which flows down. The air strips the solvent from the water leaving clean water to run to drain.

    An adsorption system or other existing VOC abatement plant can then process the air.