Dynamic Modeling of Electrochemical pH‐Swing Extraction

Electrochemical unit operations have the potential to enable zero‐waste downstream processing of bio‐based products. A profound understanding of the underlying phenomena is inevitable for technological development. This work presents a dynamic model for the electrochemical pH‐swing extraction on the example of succinic acid. Model results are well in line with experimental data. In addition, dynamic modeling enables the examination of mass transport kinetics and provides insights into the interactions between aqueous pH‐ and liquid‐liquid extraction equilibria. Electrochemical pH‐swing extraction enables recovery of succinic acid from pH‐neutral aqueous solutions. Dynamic modeling is used for the investigation of underlying kinetic phenomena and influence of extraction equilibrium on separation performance. A dimensionless performance indicator is derived to identify optimal operational conditions.