Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a greenhouse gas that must be removed from coal-fired power plant exhaust before the exhaust can be discharged to the outside air. 150 mol/h of a gas stream containing 10 mol% CO₂ [C] and 90 mol% air [A] is contacted with a pure mixture of monoethanolamine (MEA) and water [MEA-W] (assume the MEA-W mixture is one component) at 40 °C and 10 atm in an absorption column. It is desired to remove 92 mol% of CO₂ from the air. L'/L'min is 1.45. Assume solute free flow rates are constant, which means the MEA-water mixture is nonvolatile and air does not dissolve in the MEA-water mixture. Assume the column is isothermal at 40 °C and isobaric at 10 atm. 

a) Draw a PFD and label using solute free flowrates and mole ratios 

b) Determine the minimum liquid solvent flowrate required (L'min) 

c) Determine the equation of the operating line 

How many stages (N) are required to get the desired separation?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

b Minimum liquid solvent flowrate req... View the full answer