Fast batch to continuous transposition - Application to the extraction of andrographolide from plants

A fast development method for batch to continuous process transposition is proposed. This method is based on transient regime experiment analyses and is applied to a solid-liquid extraction. The application under consideration is the extraction of an active principle from a plant in a non-sinusoidal pulsed column. Typically, the proposed signal is composed of two different periods: firstly, a classical sinusoidal pulsation step is used to mix the liquid and solid phases in the active part of the column and allow an optimal mass transfer and, secondly, an impulsion phase, used generally for the transport of solids. The extraction is carried out in a disc and doughnut column of 54 mm diameter and 3.5 m height. Liquid and solid are flowing co-currently and downwardly. This technological improvement has been implemented to solve the difficulties due to the significant heterogeneity of the matter: one part tends to float and other to sink, which always leads to a definitive flooding in classical operations. The effects of the solid flow rate and the solvent characteristics on the hydrodynamic behavior of the column are studied. The mean residence time and the total solid holdup are calculated by using a transient regime mass balance on the experimental results. These experiments allow the identification and quantification of opposite effects of the operating parameters. Mass transfer experiments have been performed and the results fit calculated values obtained by coupling the hydrodynamic and batch extraction results. Despite the simplifications made, this validates the fast development method proposed to help batch to continuous transposition.