Population Balance Use in Dilute Impurity Problems

The application of population balance and kinetic analysis to problems concerning removal of dilute amounts of impurities from liquids is demonstrated. The technique is applied to data from a study of calcium carbonate precipitation in the lime-soda softening process. The process is thought of as a steady-state crystallizer, and the crystal size distribution of the solid product is measured and used to determine kinetic relationships. The specific kinetic quantities determined are nucleation and growth rates. The kinetic relationships can be used to predict effects of operating changes on the process. The importance of kinetic information in the design and operation of such processes is emphasized. Interpretation of actual experimental results is given in detail.