Abstract
Airlift reactor (ALR) is a promising multiphase reactor for industrial applications. Abundant reports about modifications of the conventional ALR and optimization of their operation conditions for the purpose of performance enhancement have been accumulated in literatures, demanding a review paper to summarize the reactor design modifications and operation condition optimization of the ALR. In this review, the published research findings and results have been summarized. The basic concepts including the ALRs’ conventional design, classification, principles of operation, and characteristic parameters have been analyzed and systematically organized. The updated advances in the ALR design modifications have been reported. In particular, the concepts of the “groveled ALR” solving the scaling up problem in wastewater treatment, large-scale application, and the ALR with the cross-shaped geometry modifier stabilizing and strengthening the reactor were considered. Also, new operation modes and optimal conditions for enhancing the performance of the ALR have also been summed up. Except for conventional gas-driven methods, new driven methods for the ALR, such as mixture emission of the gas and the liquid and gas-inducing impeller, have been introduced. Optimization of operation conditions for the ALR includes varying position of the gas spargers, utilizing elevated pressure reactor, and exploring the impact of operation parameters, such as superficial gas velocity, static liquid level, and fluid properties. Comparisons between conventional ALRs and the modified systems are carried out paying attention to analogies, similarities, and differences. Most of the documented research results are obtained for various reactor designs at a laboratory scale; studies at pilot and full scale are still insufficient, which indicates that universal scale up design rules permitting the ALR design with a high confidence are required.
Funding source: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Award Identifier / Grant number: 51278199
Award Identifier / Grant number: 21406096
Award Identifier / Grant number: 21037001
Funding statement: The authors express their gratitude for the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 51278199, no. 21406096), Joint Key Funds of the National and Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (no. U1201234), Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 21037001), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (no. 2013ZP0009), and the Program of Youth Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (no. 20142BAB213022). The authors also thank Sergei Preis, professor of Lappeenranta University of Technology, for English-language editing and helpful suggestions.
About the authors
Tao Zhang received a BA degree in Biological Technology and an MA degree in Environmental Engineering from the Northwest A&F University of China and a PhD degree in Environment Engineering from the South China University of Technology in 2012. His research interests include experimental and CFD simulation on chemical and biological reactors, water pollution control, and advanced oxidation processes.
Chaohai Wei obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry from China University of Geosciences and his Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology. He completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at South China University of Technology (SCUT) and was promoted as professor in SCUT by 1999. Prof. Wei has presided over 103 research projects and published over 390 peer-reviewed papers. Profoundly, he has designed over 30 practical projects serving for actual wastewater treatment plants. His research interests are pollution control theories in industrial wastewater and river basin, particularly focusing on novel reactors and processes for wastewater treatment, energy saving and energy recovery from wastewater treatment, and integration and optimization of wastewater treatment systems.
Yuan Ren got her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Engineering, Master’s degree in Fermentation Engineering, and PhD in Environmental Engineering from South China University of Technology. She has been a professor in School of Environment and Energy since 2013. Her research interests are biological wastewater treatment, the fate of PPCPs in wastewater treatment plant and natural water body, and remediation of halogenated organic compounds in soil and sediment.
Chunhua Feng graduated with a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2007. Dr. Feng is now a professor at School of Environment and Engineering, South China University of Technology (SCUT), China. He is serving as an associate director for Center of Environment Science, SCUT. He was elected in Program for New Century excellent talents in University, Ministry of Education, China (2012). His research interests lie in energy/resource recovery from wastes; and bioelectrochemical technology for wastewater treatment.
Haizhen Wu obtained her PhD degree in Biological Engineering from South China University of Technology (SCUT) in 2008. She is currently an associate professor in School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, SCUT. Her research interests are concentrated on the biodegradation of pollutants in contaminated soil as well as wastewater; the identification of functional micro-organisms and the development of high-performance bio-reactors. She has published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers and presided over two National Natural Science Foundations of China.
Nomenclature
- General symbols
- A, S
cross-sectional area (m2)
- g
gravitational acceleration (m s-2)
- h, H
height (m)
- k, K
resistance coefficient (-)
- V
phase velocity (m s-1)
- Re
Reynolds number (s)
- Greek symbols
- α
volume fraction (-)
- ρ
density (kg m-3)
- β
gas holdup (-)
- Subscripts
- G, g
gas phase
- L, l
liquid phase
- S
solid phase
- D
dispersion mixture
- R, r
riser
- d
downcomer
- T, t
top region (gas separator)
- B
bottom clearance
Acknowledgments
The authors express their gratitude for the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 51278199, no. 21406096), Joint Key Funds of the National and Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (no. U1201234), Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 21037001), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (no. 2013ZP0009), and the Program of Youth Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (no. 20142BAB213022). The authors also thank Sergei Preis, professor of Lappeenranta University of Technology, for English-language editing and helpful suggestions.
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