Modeling of mass transfer characteristics of bubble column reactor with surfactant present.

Danckwert's method was used to determine the specific interfacial area, a, and the individual mass transfer coefficient, k(L), during absorption of CO(2) in a bubble column with an anionic surfactant in the carbonate-bicarbonate buffer solution and NaAsO(2) as catalyst, the presence of which decreases the specific interfacial area and the individual mass transfer coefficient. The specific interfacial area and the individual mass transfer coefficient increase with increasing superficial gas velocity. The specific interfacial area decreases whereas the individual mass transfer coefficient increases with increasing temperature. The results of experiments were used to determine the dependence of a, k(L), and k(L)a on the surface tension, the temperature of the absorption phase, and the superficial velocity of the gas. The calculated results from the correlation were found to be within 10% deviation from the actual experimental results.