Biochemical Reaction Engineering CHE 505
Biochemical Reaction Engineering CHE 505
Biochemical Reaction Engineering CHE 505
(CHE 505)
P. A. Ramachandran &M.P. Dudukovic
Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory
(CREL),
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
3-17-05
Che505_bio.doc
CHAPTER 14
ChE 505: Biochemical Reaction Engineering
Application Examples
Biochemical reactions are encountered in a number of environmentally important
processes. Some examples are shown here
⎛ β γ ⎞ β
Cα H β Oγ N δ + ⎜α + − + δ ⎟O2 → αCO2 + H 2 O + δNO2
⎝ 4 2 ⎠ 2
The substrate kinetics is established by noting that as the organisms grow, the substrate is
utilized. Thus the rate of substrate consumption is directly related to the microbial growth
rate by a proportionality constant.
dX 1 dS dS
=− = −Y
dt U dt dt
Here U is called the specific substrate utilization rate. It is also the reciprocal of Y, the
specific yield of organisms. Both U and Y are like stoichiometric factors familiar in
reaction engineering. In many cases these can be predicted by setting up a reaction
stoichiometry. A general molar representation of biomass is C5H7NO2. Some examples
are shown below:
Yield calculations:
Example 1:
Oxygen requirements and Y factor:
Use of reaction stoichiometry to compute Y and COD is illustrated below.
Reaction is represented by an overall stoichiometry
Based on this Y and O2 demand can be calculated. Assume organic is glucose and the
biomass has a structure C5H7NO2. A balanced reaction is then
It is more convenient to write this in terms of COD (chemical oxygen demand). For this
purpose COD of glucose is calculated as follows:
COD of glucose:
C 6 H 12 O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6 H 2 O
180 192
A second approach is to write half reactions for the various oxidation and reduction
processes and balance the rate of these processes. This method is described below.
Oxidation is the electron donor half reaction, shown by equation (2), with rate Rd.
1 1 1
C 6 H 12 O6 + H 2 O → CO2 + H + + e − (2)
24 4 4
Reduction is the electron acceptor half reaction that has two possible routes; respiration,
equation (3a), and synthesis, equation ( 3b) that proceed at the rate Rc, and Rs ,
respectively:
A. Respiration
1 1
O2 + H + + e − → H 2 O (3a)
4 2
In the above we have assumed that organic matter (food) is the simple sugar (glucose)
and that the culture in question can utilize the nitrate ion to synthesize new biomass by
equation (3b). Now, based on data, we assume that the probability of reaction (3a)
occurring is fe while the probability of reaction (3b) occurring is fs. Clearly, since the
electron must be used by ether route (3a) or (3b), we must have fe+fs=1. In addition, the
rate of electron production must equal the rate of electron consumption so that
Rd + fs Rs + feRc = 0 (4)
Overall stoichiometry
1
C 6 H 12 O6 + 0.0221NO3− + 0.095O2 + 0.0221H + → 0.0221C 5 H 7 NO 2 + 0.14CO2 + 0.184 H 2 O
24
(5)
Now, if we know the O2 uptake rate we can determine the nitrate or glucose consumption
rate and rate of synthesis of cell mass! Unfortunately, in most real complex systems we
do not know that and we need to rely on empirical yield factors defined earlier.
.
The factors, fe and fs can also be related to the free energy changes associated with the
respiration and synthesis reaction. The free energy determines how the released energy is
partitioned into respiration vs synthesis. The suggested relation for heterotropic bacteria
is
fe fe ∆Gs
= =−
fs 1− fe k∆G R
∆G s = energy required for cell synthesis which is calculated by Eq (1) shown later.
The value of ∆G s is free energy to convert 1-electron equivalent of carbon source to cell
material. This is estimated as
∆G p ∆G N
∆G s = + ∆Gc +
km k
Example:
Consider acetate as a substrate and CO2 as the electron acceptor. This represents the
treatment under anaerobic condition in the absence of oxygen. Find fe and fs based on
free energy considerations. Take the fraction of energy used as 0.6
Solution
The oxidation half reaction is represented as
1 3 1 1
CH 3 COO − + H 2 O → CO2 + HCO3− + H + + e −
8 8 8 8
and has a free energy of –27.68 kJ per electron from the tabulated values.
In the absence of O2 (anaerobic conditions) the CO2 acts as an electron acceptor. The
respiration reaction is then represented as
1 1 1
CO2 + H + + e − → CH 4 + H 2 O
8 8 4
and the free energy is 24.11 kJ/g. eq. of electrons
Overall free energy change is therefore –27.68+24.11 = -3.57 kJ which is our ∆GR value.
The free energy of pyruvate formation is now calculated. This is reaction 15 in the table.
1 1 1 2
CO2 + HCO3− + H + + e − → CH 3 COCOO − + H 2 O
5 10 10 5
∆G = 35.78 kJ.
Note that the overall pyruvate formation is the sum of oxidation half reaction and the
above pyruvate half reaction. Hence ∆Gp = -27.68 + 35.78 = 8.1 kJ which is positive.
Energy is utilized in pyruvate formation for this substrate (acetate) and m is taken as 1.
Note in a general context that puruvate formation from other substrates such as glucose
releases energy and is the first step in the Kreb cycle by which we (all species) use the
food energy.
Assume k = 0.6.
∆Gs = 8.1 / 0.6 + 31.41 + 0 = 44.91 kJ/mole.
fe − 44.91
= = 20.96
1 − f e 0.6.(−3.57)
Tables:
Kinetics of Microbial Reactions
The growth of the microbial concentration follows a first order dependence and can be
described as:
dX
Rx = = µX
dt
An early model by Monod (1942) showed that the growth constant is a function of the
nutrient or the substrate concentration. The relation can be described by the following
equation.
S
µ = µ max
Ks + S
where S is the concentration of the substrate and µmax is a maximum growth constant.
The other constant in the model is Ks. In fact, it can be shown that if S = Ks /2 the growth
rate is half the maximum value. Hence Ks is also called the half velocity constant. The
Monod’s equation applies to pure cultures but is also applied to mixed cultures as a first
approximation.
Other models for the growth constant µ have also been proposed. Thus Haldane proposed
the following model
S
µ = µ max
S2
Ks + S +
KI
In a dynamic growth situation, some organisms are born, some die and some members
simply grow in mass. The death rate is added to the model by adding a decay constant
and the net growth rate of microbes is represented as:
S
R x = µX − k d X = µ max X − kd X
Ks + S
Although the model is simple (a lumped model for microbes), it has served its purpose
well in many applications. However, more complete models that incorporate some of the
underlying biochemical mechanisms offer a better representation and predictability. Such
models are based on metabolic pathway analysis. Such detailed models are often
developed if there are certain design objectives in mind. Otherwise a simple Monod
based model is often sufficient.
Typical values of kinetic parameters for domestic wastewater at 20degC are in the
following range:
µmax 2-10 g bsCOD/g VSS. Day
Ks. 10-60 mg/L bsCOD
Y 0.3-0.6 mg VSs/mg bsCOD
Kd 0.06-0.15 gVSS/ g VSS day
The effect of temperature on the kinetic parameters is of some interest. The growth
constant µmax increases with temperature and reaches a maximum and then decreases
rapidly with temperature. This is often fitted by two Arrhenius type of parameters:
1 ⎛ − E1 ⎞
= A exp⎜ ⎟
Ks ⎝ RT ⎠
Other effects such as product poisoning may have to be added to the model. One example
is alcohol production by fermentation where higher concentrations of alcohol act as
poison to the microbial population.
In this model one attempts to track the key species involved in the process rather than
lumping all the species into COD.
Metabolic Pathway Models
As an example of metabolic pathway analysis, the growth metabolism model for E. coli
was developed by Schuler and co-workers. This model shown schematically in Fig. 2 has
23 stoichiometric constants and 49 kinetic parameters. Most of the kinetic parameters
could be estimated from the large number of reported previous studies on the system.
Sludge Qw, Xu
waste
(a)
Primary effluent Effluent
Q0-Qw, Xe, S
Q0, S0, X0 Reactor Q+ QR secondary
Variable X,S clarifier
X, S
Sludge
waste
Qw, Xu
Figure: Schematics of the two general types of activated sludge systems: (a) completely
mixed; (b) plug flow
Model is developed by writing mass balances for the substrate and the biomass. The
model equations for a backmixed reactor are as follows:
Cell Balance:
Produced – Died = -In + Out
XV − k d XV = −Q0 X 0 + [(Q0 − Qw )X e + Qw X u ]
S
µ max (7.16)
Ks + S
S Q X + (Q0 − Qw )X e − Q0 X 0
µ max = w u + kd (7.17)
Ks + S VX
The same mathematical operations may be applied to the substrate. These will not be
repeated but the result will be written at once, which is
µ max S
XV = {(− Q0 S 0 + (Q0 − Qw )S + Qw S )} (7.18)
Y (K s + S )
Equating the right hand sides of Eqns (7-17) and (7-19) and rearranging gives us
Qw X u + (Q0 − Qw )X e − Q0 X 0 Q0Y
= (S 0 − S ) − k d (7.20)
VX VX
VX
The ratio, θ c = , is the biomass (or mixed-liquor volatile
Qw X u + (Q0 − Qw )X e − Q0 X 0
suspended solids, MLVSS-the numerator) in the reactor divided by the net rate of
biomass wasting (the denominator). The ratio θ c represents the average time that the
biomass is in the residence in the reactor. It is called by various names, such as mean cell
residence time (MCRT), sludge retention time (SRT), and sludge age. The ratio
V / Q0 = θ is called the nominal hydraulic retention time (NHRT). The word nominal is
used here, since θ is not the actual detention time of the tank. The actual detention time
is V / (Q0 + QR ) where QR is the recirculated flow. Using θ c and θ in Eq. (7-20) and
solving for X gives:
θ cY (S 0 − S )
X = (7.21)
θ (1 + k d θ c )
This is known as the equation for biomass concentration in the reactor. To find S, the
exit concentration of the substrate, we substitute Eq. (7.21) for X in Eq. (7.19), this leads
to
S 1 + k dθ c
=
Ks + S µ maxθ c
Rearranging:
K s (1 + k d θ c )
S= (1)
µ maxθ c − (1 + k dθ c )
The above equation then provides the performance of the bioreactor as a function of
operating conditions. The key parameters which the operator can adjust is θ c (the cell
residence time). The other parameters Ks, µmax and kd are biological rate parameters
which we cannot control.
An interesting effect is that the exit concentration in the bioreactor is independent of the
inlet concentration. This is unlike a conventional chemical reactor.
A minimum residence time is required and this is related to the inlet substrate
concentration. This quantity can be obtained by setting X = 0 in Eq (7.21). This would
be yield at S = S0. Now, using Eq(1) for S and solving, one obtains
1 ⎛ Ks ⎞
θc > ⎜1 + ⎟ assuming kd = 0 here.
µ max ⎜⎝ S 0 ⎟⎠
θ c , min
K s + S0
or θ c ,min =
µ max S 0
Eq. (1) holds only if the above condition is satisfied. A plot of S vs θ c is as follows:
S
S0
θc
minimum
X
Low θ case
High θ case
min θc
Another important parameter in the design and operation of an activated sludge plant is
the recirculation ratio, R = QR / Q0 . R may be obtained by performing a material balance
around the secondary clarifier. Since the clarifier is not aerated, dX/dt = 0. Also at
∂X
steady state = 0 . Adopting these facts and performing the material balance produces
∂t
(Q0 + QR )X = (Q0 − QR )X e + (QR + Qw )X u (7.24)
k’ = rate constant = k Xf
Xf = microbial concentration in the film
As = surface area for diffusion into biomass
Qa = volumetric flow rate
Biological reactions are more complex than anything that we have considered so far and
the reasons for this are briefly outlined below. Consider a “generic” biological reaction
where some organic matter (food) is consumed by a culture of living organisms (bugs)
that also consume oxygen due to their respiration (aerobic culture) and in the process
generate carbon dioxide, water and more biomass (more bugs). This is represented by
equation (1):
Oxidation is the electron donor half reaction, shown by equation (2), with rate Rd.
1 1 1
C6 H12O6 + H 2O → CO2 + H + + e− ; Rd (2)
24 4 4
Reduction is the electron acceptor half reaction that has two possible routes: respiration,
equation (3a), and synthesis, equation (3b), that proceed at the rate Rc and Rs,
respectively.
A. Respiration
1 1
O2 + H + + e− → H 2O ; Rc (3a)
4 2
In the above we have assumed that organic matter (food) is the simple sugar (glucose)
and that the culture in question can utilize the nitrate ion to synthesize new biomass by
equation (3b). Now, based on data, we assume that the probability of reaction (3a)
occurring is fc while the probability of reaction (3b) occurring is fs. Clearly, since the
electron must be used by either route (3a) or (3b), we must have fc + fs = 1. In addition,
the rate of electron production must equal the rate of electron consumption so that
Rd + f sRs + f c Rc = 0 (4)
1
Overall stoichiometry
1
C6 H12O6 + 0.0221 NO3− + 0.095 O2 + 0.0221 H +
24 (5)
→ 0.0221 C5 H 7 NO2 + 0.14 CO2 + 0.184 H 2O
Now, if we know the O2 uptake rate we can determine the nitrate or glucose consumption
rate and rate of synthesis of cell mass! Unfortunately, in most real complex systems we
do not know that and we need to rely on empirical yield factors which will be defined
below.
We need now to describe the rate of biomass (bugs) growth, substrate (food, e.g. sugar)
consumption rate and oxygen consumption rate.
Typically, Monod’s model is used where the rate of formation of the biomass, Rx, is
proportional to the biomass concentration present in the system, X, as shown by equation
(6)
Rx = μX (6)
The specific growth constant is given by Michaelis Menten kinetic form and depends on
the limiting substrate concentration, S, as shown below.
μm S
μ= (7)
Ks + S
The above ignores the death term in the cell rate which has to be included for mature
cultures, so that a more complete description of the net biomass formation rate is:
μm SX
Rx = − kd X (8)
Ks + S
The substrate consumption rate is customarily given in terms of the biomass production
rate and the appropriate yield coefficient. Please, note that the yield coefficient may
change with conditions but is most frequently used as constant:
1
−Rs = Rx (9)
Yx / s
2
(mg / L )biomass produced
Yx / s = yield coefficient = (10)
(mg / L) substrate consumed
This rate must also be expressed in terms of an empirical yield coefficient as shown
below:
1
−Ro = Rx (11)
Yx / o
Well mixed CSTR at unsteady state can now be described by writing the mass balance on
biomass, substrate and oxygen as follows:
dX
V = Q( X o − X ) + RxV (13)
dt
t = 0 X = Xi
dS
V = Q( So − S ) − ( −Rs )V (14)
dt
t = 0 S = Si
dCo
V = Q( Cos −C o ) + k saV ( Co* − Co ) − ( −Ro )V (15)
dt
t = 0 Co = Coi
Q
D= (16)
V
3
dX μ S
= D( X o − X ) + m X (17)
dt Ks + S
dS 1 μm S
= D( So − S ) − X (18)
dt Yx / s K s + S
dCo 1 μm S
= D( Cos − Co ) − X + k L a( Co* − Co ) (19)
dt Yx / o K s + S
In a batch D = 0.
d
In steady state CSTR = 0. Let us look at a steady state CSTR.
dt
In steady state CSTR with no fresh culture in the feed stream ,X0 = 0, so that
D=μ (20)
μm S
D= → Solve for S (21)
Ks + S
K sD
S= for D < Dcr (22)
μm − D
In case that the dilution rate is larger than the critical dilution rate given below, washout
occurs and only the steady state at zero biomass concentration is possible.
μm S o
D > Dcr = ⇒ X =0 (23)
K s + So
For admissible values of the dilution rate D the biomass steady state concentration in the
effluent (and hence in the reactor due to CSTR assumptions) is given by
⎡ KD ⎤
X = X ss = Yx / s ( So − S ) = Yx / s⎢So − s ⎥ (24)
⎣ μm − D ⎦
The production rate of the biomass per unit reactor volume is the product DX
To maximize it we need
d
( DX ) = 0 which yields :
dD
4
⎡ ⎛ 1/ 2 ⎤
⎢ Ks ⎞ ⎥
Dopt = μm 1− ⎜ ⎟ (25)
⎢⎣ ⎝ K s + So ⎠ ⎥⎦
⎡ ⎛ ⎛ ⎞−1/ 2 ⎞⎤
K
= Yx / s⎢So + K s⎜1− ⎜ ⎟⎥
⎜ ⎝ K s + So ⎟⎠ ⎟⎥
s
X opt (26)
⎢
⎣ ⎝ ⎠⎦
S S
X DX
DX
D Dopt Dcr
5
Electrochemical Processes
(CHE 505)
M.P. Dudukovic
Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory
(CREL),
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Electro_chapter16.doc
3-31-05
Chapter 16
Electrochemical Processes
Application Areas
1. Metal salts recovery from waste water and other process streams
Metal salts are frequently found in wastewater. These can be electrochemically
processed to recover the metals. Thus we not only treat the waste streams but also
generate value from waste.
Potential for metal recovery and some statistical data is shown in the book by
Allen and Rosselot. From their data it is seen that the metals in many waste
streams are significantly underutilized. Thus there is considerable scope of
process development and optimum design in this area.
Thermodynamics
0
E cell = − nF∆G 0
n is the number of electrons transferred and F is the Faradays’ constant = 96500 C/ g-eq
and represents the charge to be supplied for 1 g- eq of electron of transported in the
external circuit.
If the reaction has a positive change in free energy then the reaction is not spontaneous
and needs energy input to carry out the reaction. Again if the reaction is carried out as an
electrochemical reaction, the energy can be supplied in form of electrical potential. The
minimum energy needed to be supplied is related to the free energy change in the
reaction. This value defined here as the decomposition potential or the reaction potential
given as:
E r0 = E d0 = nF∆G 0
where ∆G0 is the free energy change on the overall reaction under standard conditions.
Thus if E r0 is negative, the reaction will yield energy (a galvanic cell ot fuel cell) and
vice versa (an electrolyzer or electrochemical reactor).
The decomposition potential is more usually calculated by writing the overall reaction as
a sum of oxidation and reduction reaction separately. These are called as half reactions.
For example consider the electrolysis of silver nitrate which can be represented by the
following reaction:
The potential values for a number of common reactions are tabulated in electrochemistry
books. Tables 1 and 2 reproduce some of these values. Note that these values have the
same sign as the overall free energy change of the reaction and hence represent the
reaction potentials and not the cell potential. Thus if the value is negative it means that
the corresponding half reaction has a negative free energy change and is therefore
spontaneous. The standard conditions are defined as 1M concentrations for liquid phase
components and 1 atm pressure for gas phase species.
E = E anode − Ecathode
where both the anode and cathode reaction are written as oxidation reactions.
The overall reaction is therefore the difference between the anode reaction and cathode
reaction. The actual cathode reaction is the reduction and proceeds in the opposite
direction to those shown in the tables. However, both reactions are written as oxidation
for the purpose of using these tables and the difference is the net reaction.
Example 1: Find the minimum potential needs to decompose AgNO3 form a 1M solution
The oxidation reaction is decomposition of water at the anode. From table 1, we find that
this reaction has potential change of 1.229V associated with it. (Reaction 15)
Example 2: Consider the hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell. We can represent the two half
reactions (both as oxidation) in the following manner.
H2 H+ H+ O2
- + O2
H2O
Anode Porous Cathode
separator
2H2 → 4H+ + 4e- O2+4H++4e-→2H2O
If the reactants are not at the standard conditions, a correction for activity is applied as
shown below.
⎛ ap ⎞
∆G = ∆G 0 + RT ln⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ ar ⎠
where ap is the product of activities of all products raised to its stoichiometric number in
accordance with law of mass action. Similarly ar is the activity of the reactants. Dividing
by nF and converting in terms of reaction potential we obtain
RT ⎛ a p ⎞
Er = Er0 + ln⎜ ⎟
nF ⎜⎝ ar ⎟⎠
∂E 0 ∆S 0
=
∂T nF
Example 3: A hydrogen fuel cell is operated at 80C. Find the maximum potential
generated in this cell.
Solution:
For the H2+O2 reaction, the entropy change was found to be ∆S 0 =0.1638 J/K mole.
Hence ∆S 0 /nF = 8.49 x 10-4 V/K
E(80C) = -1.23+ 8.49x10-4 (80-25) = -1.18 V
Solution:
The Nernst equation is applied to the Co oxidation.
n=2 here.
RT
E = E0 + ln C Co =0.2089V
2F
For hydrogen oxidation, the standard reaction potential can be corrected for pH as
follows:
EH2 = 0 +
RT
2F
( ) 2
ln H + where H+=10-pH
For a pH of 1, the value is –0.0592.
Hence, E H 2 =
RT
(2.303)( pH ) =0.052 x 2.303 = 1.1698 V
F
The reaction potential for hydrogen evolution is 1.17 V which is comparable to that for
Co deposition. Hence both reactions are likely to occur at this pH. From an application
point of view, a relatively high pH is needed for the Co deposition to become the favored
reaction. Thus if the wastewater is acidic then Co recovery is difficult by electrochemical
process.
Voltage Balance
This is similar to the heat balance in chemical reactors. The overall voltage needed can
be expressed as
IR drop in the metal is low in general but can not be ignored of cells that are connected in
series.
The components of the above voltage balance are all functions of the current density
except of course the term E r which is determined by thermodynamics. Lower the
current density is lower the voltage drop, but the reaction rate is also correspondingly
lower. To quantify the overpotential-current relations, the reaction kinetics is needed as
discussed in the next section.
Kinetics of electrode processes
The rate of electrochemical reactions are often expressed in terms of current density
rather than in terms of the moles produced per unit time per unit area of the electrode
surface.
We define the current density as i which is A/m2 s. The total current at the cathode is the
same as the current at the anode. The current density is related to the rate of reaction by
the following equation which is a consequence of Faraday’s law.
i=nFr
where r is the rate of reaction in moles produced/m2s
To provide an expression for the rate, r or the equivalent current density consider an
electrode reaction represented as a reversible reaction of the type:
R ⇔ O + n + ne −
where R and O represent the reduced and oxidized species and n is the number of
electrons transferred.
The rate is affected by the potential difference between the metal and the adjacent
solution. Let E represent this value. E = φ m − φ s .
Then the rate of forward reaction (oxidation) is increased by increasing the value of E, i.e.
by having a higher potential at the metal compared to the solution). Similarly, the rate of
backward reaction is improved by decreasing E. The effect of potential difference on the
rate is thus equivalent to the effect of temperature and the rate is found to depend
exponentially on the value of E. The rate is also dependent on the concentration of the
species. For as simple elementary reaction the dependency is linear. Combining the
effect of both concentration and temperature we can write the rate as:
The rate constants kf and kb are, however, not independent and must meet the
thermodynamic consistency. At equilibrium the rate is zero. Also CR and CO are related
by Nernst equation which is expressed now in the following rearranged form
Co
CR
[ (
= exp nf E r − E r0 )]
Setting the net rate as zero and also using the CR and C0 values from the above version of
the Nernst equation, we can drive the following thermodynamic relation between the
forward and backward rate constants.
(
k b = k f exp nfE r0 )
where E r0 is the equilibrium potential for the reaction at the standard conditions. (The
students may wish to verify the algebra for clarity).
The rate constant kf is often expressed in terms of a rate constant k0 defined below which
is also called as a standard rate constant.
(
k f = k 0 exp − nfβE r0 )
Similarly,
( ) (
k b = k f exp nfEr0 = k 0 exp nf (1 − β )E r0 )
Substituting and rearranging, the rate can be expressed as
Note that if k0 and β are the two kinetic parameters in this ‘rate’ form.
This provides a working model to represent the kinetics of electrode processes. However,
it is more common in the field to express the rate in terms of an overpotential at the
electrode surface. That is referred to as the difference between the actual applied
potential and the equilibrium potential as η, the surface overpotential
η = E − E eq = E − E r (C)
If η is greater than zero, the driving force term is positive and hence oxidation is favored.
If η is less than zero, the driving force term is negative and hence the reverse reaction
(reduction) is favored. If η is zero the system is at equilibrium and the net rate is zero.
Although the net rate is zero at equilibrium, we may consider the rate to be balance of the
forward and backward reaction. r = r f − rb and at equilibrium r f = rb . From Eq(A), we
can write
[ (
r f* = rb* = k 0 C R* exp nfβ ( E r − E 0 )]
The corresponding current is referred to as the exchange current.
i0 = nFr f* = nFrb*
We use this expression in (B) and also express E in terms of the overall potential.
i = i0 [exp(nfβη ) − exp(− nf (1 − β )η )]
In many cases the parameter nβ is grouped into a parameter αa. Similarly, the parameter
n(1-β) is grouped into a parameter αc. and the Butler-Volmer equation is written as:
and all the three parameters i0, αa and αc are then treated as fitted constants.
The physical significance of these parameters are as follows: io represents the exchange
current and is similar to the rate constant. Its value can vary over a wide range. 0.001 to
10 A/m2 range for example. This parameter is sensitive to the electrode conditions as well
as to surface contamination and other factors which affect the electron transfer process at
the electrode. The parameter αa is a measure of how an applied potential favors the anode
(oxidation) reaction. Similarly, αc is a measure of cathodic process. The values for these
parameters are in the range of 0.2 to 2. In some cases, they are both taken as 0.5 which
says that the potential affects each reaction in the same manner.
If more than one reaction occurs then both reactions must be described by these equations
and the parameters i0 and β fitted for each reaction. The overpotential for each reaction
must also be calculated or measured with respect to its own equilibrium potential.
If the overpotential η is sufficiently large, then the reverse reaction is negligible and Eqn
(B) can be expressed as:
i = i0 exp(nfβη )
which can be rearranged to a linear form
η = a + b ln(i)
where a and b are system specific constants which are fitted from the experimental data.
The above equation is known as the Tafel equation. If η is small, the Butler-Volmer
equation reduces to a linear form:
i = i0 nFη
Copper is to be deposited at a rate of 0.005 mole/sec from a solution of CuSO4. Find (a)
the current, (b) voltage required if the operating current density is 965 A/m2 and (c) the
electrode surface area.
Neglect hydrogen evolution and use the Butler-Volmer equation given earlier for Cu
deposition.
For oxygen evolution at the cathode use the following Tafel type of model:
η a = 0.8 + 0.05 log10 (i ) where i is in A/m2.
Solution:
From Faraday’s law, the current needed is nF times the rate of deposition of Cu = 2 x
96500 x 0.005 = 965 A.
For a current density 965 A/m2 use then an electrode surface area of 1 m^2.
Using the Butler-Volmer equation for cathode and solving for ηc we have a cathode
overpotential of 0.1982V.
The anode overpotential is calculated using i of 0.1 in the units of A/cm2 as 0.75V.
If the solution conductivity is known, the solution IR drop can be added to the voltage
drop. If we assume a drop of 0.2V then the voltage needed is 2.66V. The power needed
is I.V = 965 x 2.66 or 2560 W for this process.
Transport effects
The reaction rate is often affected by the transport of ions near the electrode. The film
model is often convenient to represent the transport.
The rate of transport to the surface is represented as: k L (C b − C s ) where k L is mass
transfer coefficient to the surface. Traditionally mass transfer data are avialble for non-
charged species. A correction to this k L is needed for charged species due to the
contribution by migration due to electron field. In this discussion, we simply assume that
k L is the corrected value.
The reaction rate (current density) is given for a simple case where the reverse reaction is
ignored. as:
CS
i = i0 exp(αfη ) (A)
Cb
where i0 is now corrected by the ratio of surface to bulk concentration.
The maximum rate of transport occurs when the surface concentration is near zero and
can be expressed as: k L C b
The corresponding current is called the limiting current and is the maximum value of
current possible at an electrode surface: i L = nFk L C b
The mass transfer rate to the electrode can then be represented as a current in terms of the
limiting current as:
⎛ C ⎞
i = i L ⎜⎜1 − s ⎟⎟ (B)
⎝ Cb ⎠
Cs
The current given by Eq (A) and (B) are the same at steady state. Hence can be
Cb
eliminated.
Cs iL
=
Cb i L + i0 exp(αfη )
The current with mass transfer effects included in the analysis is then given from Eq (A)
as
i i exp(αfη )
i= L0 ©
i L + i0 exp(αfη )
For large overpotential, we can then show that the current i→iL and hence the current vs
overpotential curve reaches an asymptote of iL.
Example: Calculate the current for different values of overpotential for Cu deposition.
Use the value for limiting current of 1000 A/m2 which is a representative value for a well
stirred solution.
Solution: We use the Butler-Volmer model for the kinetics with i0 = 0.01 A/m2 and αf =
58.1 as before.
Then using Eq (C) we can find i for various values of η and the results are tabulated
below.
η,V 0.2 0.5 0.6
2
i, A/m 526.74 1000 1000
Cs
is calculated as 0.4733 at η = 0.2 indicating significant transfer resistance.
Cb
Electrodialysis
The method of electrodialysis can be understood by the simple arrangement shown in Fig
A. Here cation and anion selective membranes are placed alternatively with two
electrodes at the end. In the diagram only two pairs are shown but for larger scale
applications one usually stacks more pairs with the feed entering at alternative pairs. The
electrodes cause an electric current to pass through the system and cause a migration of
cations towards the negative electrode and the anions to the anode. Because of the
alternative spacing of cation and anion permeable membranes, cells of concentrated and
dilute salts are formed.
Concentrated solution
Desalted solution
Cathode Anode
rinse rinse
+ Cl- Cl-
Na
+
Na+ Cl- Na
E(-ve) C A C A E(-ve)
Cathode Anode
Cathode Anode
rinse Feed Solution rinse
The ion permeable membranes are essentially sheets of ion-exchange resins. Thus cation
exchange resins have a fixed group attached to a polymer denoted as RSO3- and a labile
group Na+ ion for example. The fixed group repels the negative ions since it has a
negative charge and only positive ions can be transported across this membrane.
Likewise the anion exchange resin has affixed group of the type NR3+ (quarternary
ammonium groups) and are selective to only negative ions because the fixed group NR3+
will repel positive ions.
The electrodes are neutral and do not participate in the reaction. However reactions are
needed for a current to flow. The electrolysis of water is the main reaction which takes
place in this system and can be represented as:
Anode reaction:
2OH- Æ ½ O2 + H2O + 2e-
Cathode reaction:
2H+ + 2e- Æ H2
If the solution has chloride ion then chlorine formation is another competing reaction
which can take place at the anode.
2Cl- Æ Cl2 + 2 e-
Standard potential for reaction set 1 is 0.401 V while for reaction set 2 is 1.3595V using
the values in Table 1. It may be noted that the extent of these reactions are small and
only a small fraction of the water gets electrolyzed.
Pretreatment of the solution is needed in some cases. For example suspended solids larger
than 10nm in diameter need to be removed or else they will plug the membrane. Calcium
salt precipitation over the electrode could also be a problem and these are prevented by
keeping the solution slightly acidic.
As a rule of thumb standard ion exchange is preferred if the salt concentration is in the
range of 500ppm. For larger concentrations in the range of 500 to 5000ppm electodialysis
is more economical. For even more concentrated solution, the reverse osmosis is the
process of choice.
The corresponding equation for the current infor a stack of cells is given as:
I = = z F Q ∆C / η n
where n is the number of cell pairs. Note that one cell pair represents one cation plus one
anion exchange membranes.
Current density is another important parameter which is needed for the design. It is
defined as the current per unit area of membrane in the direction perpendicular to the
direction of current flow. Current density to solution (CD/N) normality ratio is an
important a parameter. Too high value a value for (CD/N) indicates that there is
insufficient charge to carry the current. Too low indicates a poor rate of membrane
transport. A value of 50 to 500 A/m2 is used in design and once this is set the membrane
area is fixed.
The resistance of the electrodialysis unit to treat a particular type of waste water is usally
determined experimentally since it depends on the composition of the wastewater and the
type of membrane used. Once the resistance R and the current is known the power
consumption can be calculated as
The voltage is actually determined by the various potential drops in the system similar to
that for an electrolyzer. These terms are listed below
For a given current all these terms can, in principle, be calculated and the overall
potential drop in the system can be calculated. The contribution of the first two terms
above is small and usually the last three terms are mainly responsible for the voltagae
drop. However, for a quick design, the measured value of resistance is used in order to
estimate the power needed. Often no detailed voltage balance is performed.
These simple calculations are useful for a first level analysis and the procedure is
illustrated by the following example.
Solution:
Q = 4000/24/3600 = 0.0463 m3 /s
Cin= 2500/58.5 mg- mol/L = 42.735 g-mol/m3
From the recommended current density value of 400, the needed membrane surface area
is:
Area = 442./400 = 1.105m2 area needed.
Total voltage = 1V x 240 = 240V
The power needed is therefore 240 x 442 W = 106.08 kW
1 K. Rajeshwar.Environmental Electochemistry’
2. Goodridge and Scott. Electrochemical process engineering.
3. Hine. Electrode processes and Electrochemical engineering.
4. Seader and Henley. Separation process principles.
5. Newman. J and Thomas_Alyea K. E. Electrochemical systems
6. Allen, D, T. and Rosselot, K. S., Pollution prevention for chemical processes.