Equilibria and kinetics for reactive extraction of lactic acid using Alamine 336 in decanol

Lactic acid is an important commercial product and extracting this from aqueous solution is a growing requirement in fermentation‐based industries. The design of an amine extraction process requires (i) equilibrium and (ii) kinetic data for the acid–amine (solvent) system used. The equilibrium complexation constants for ratios of (1:1) and (2:1) have been estimated. The kinetics of extraction of lactic acid by Alamine 336 in decanol has also been determined. The reaction between lactic acid and Alamine 336 in decanol in a stirred cell falls in Regime 3, ie extraction accompanied by a fast chemical reaction occurring in the diffusion film. The reaction has been found to be zero order in Alamine 336 and first order in lactic acid with a rate constant of 0.21 s−1. These data will be useful in the design of extraction processes.