Osmotic mass transfer barriers

In a binary mixture, diffusion coefficients are equal to each other for dissimilar molecules, and Fick s law can determine the molecular mass flows in an isotropic medium at isothermal and isobaric conditions. In a multicomponent diffusion, however, various interactions among the molecules may arise. Some of these interactions are (i) diffusion flows may vanish despite the nonvanishing driving force, which is known as the mass transfer barrier, (ii) diffusion of a component in a direction opposite to that indicated by its driving force leads to a phenomenon called the reverse mass flow, and (iii) diffusion of a component in the absence of its driving force, which is called the osmotic mass flow. 

Although the application of ultrasound in osmotic dehydration is, technically speaking, not a contact ultrasound application, its analysis provides an interesting insight into the principles of ultrasound-assisted drying and the different approaches to minimize mass transfer barriers applying PEF and ultrasound. It is therefore briefly discussed here. 

Solute-solute Interactions may affect the diffusion rates In the fluid phase, the solid phase, or both. Toor (26) has used the Stefan-Maxwell equations for steady state mass transfer In multicomponent systems to show that, in the extreme, four different types of diffusion may occur (1) diffusion barrier, where the rate of diffusion of a component Is zero even though Its gradient Is not zero (2) osmotic diffusion, where the diffusion rate of a component Is not zero even though the gradient Is zero (3) reverse diffusion, where diffusion occurs against the concentration gradient and, (4) normal diffusion, where diffusion occurs In the direction of the gradient. While such extreme effects are not apparent in this system, it is evident that the adsorption rate of phenol is decreased by dodecyl benzene sulfonate, and that of dodecyl benzene sulfonate increased by phenol. 

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