Ethyl acetate is a commonly used organic solvent, widely applied in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries for production and extraction processes. The separation and recovery of ethyl acetate usually face several challenges, for which the centrifugal extractor is the ideal solution:

1.Easy emulsification: Ethyl acetate and water tend to form stable emulsions when mixed, especially in the presence of surfactants or fine solid particles. Gravity settling is extremely time-consuming and may even fail to achieve complete separation.
2.Small density difference: The density of ethyl acetate (~0.9 g/mL) is close to that of water (1.0 g/mL), resulting in low driving force for phase separation under a gravitational field and thus a slow separation rate.
3.High efficiency and recovery required: Ethyl acetate is a relatively valuable solvent and should be recovered as completely as possible to reduce costs and environmental impact.
4.Continuous production requirements: Modern industrial processes pursue continuous and automated operation, replacing inefficient batch-type kettle operations.

The advantages of the CWL-M centrifugal extractor directly address these challenges

1.High centrifugal force: The high-speed rotating rotor generates a centrifugal force hundreds to thousands of times greater than gravity, effectively breaking emulsions and enabling rapid, complete phase separation even with very small density differences.
2.Efficient mass transfer: The rotor–stator design (mixing blades and stabilizing plates) ensures intense shearing and mixing of the two liquid phases inside the equipment, followed by immediate separation under centrifugal force. The mass transfer efficiency is far superior to that of stirred tanks or column equipment.
3.Short residence time: The residence time of materials inside the equipment is very short (on the order of seconds), making it highly suitable for systems like ethyl acetate that may undergo hydrolysis or degradation. This minimizes solvent loss and side reactions.
4.Continuous and sealed operation: Enables fully automated continuous feeding and discharging, greatly improving production efficiency. It can be easily integrated into DCS control systems and reduces leakage of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
5.Compact footprint: A single centrifugal extractor can replace a large settling tank or a tall extraction column, saving valuable plant space.

Ethyl Acetate Separation Operation Process

1.Feeding: The light phase (typically the ethyl acetate phase) and the heavy phase (typically the aqueous phase) are precisely pumped into the CWL-M centrifugal extractor unit through two feed pumps at a set flow ratio (O/A ratio).
2.Mixing and mass transfer: The two phases enter the center of the rotor, where they are intensely sheared and mixed by the high-speed rotating rotor and the stationary stator. The target component transfers from one phase to the other (e.g., product transferring from the aqueous phase into the ethyl acetate phase).
3.Centrifugal separation: Under the action of strong centrifugal force, the mixed liquid is thrown toward the inner wall of the rotor. Due to density differences, the heavy phase is pushed outward, while the light phase remains inward.
4.Phase separation and discharge: The separated phases flow through different channels and weirs, continuously exiting from different outlets of the equipment. The light phase (ethyl acetate-enriched phase) is discharged from the light-phase outlet, while the heavy phase (raffinate aqueous phase) exits from the heavy-phase outlet.

Practical Case Studies: Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement for Leading Pharmaceutical Enterprises

Case 1 – A leading API manufacturer: By using the CWL-M centrifugal extractor to treat ethyl acetate–ethanol–water mixed waste liquid, a single-pass separation purity of 99.2% was achieved, resulting in annual cost savings of over 12 million RMB.
Case 2 – A top fragrance and flavor company: In treating wastewater containing 5% ethyl acetate, the recovery rate reached 97.8%, while wastewater treatment costs were reduced by 40%.

The CWL-M series centrifugal extractor from Tiei Extraction is a cutting-edge technological solution for the challenges of ethyl acetate separation. With its powerful centrifugal separation capability, it can efficiently, rapidly, and continuously handle the easily emulsified ethyl acetate–water system. This not only significantly improves product recovery rate, production efficiency, and economic benefits, but also meets the modern chemical industry’s stringent requirements for safety, environmental protection, and automation.
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