OptimEXT™: Advanced Extraction Solutions for Complex Industrial Mixtures
- jesusrangel3
- Jun 20
- 2 min read
Introduction
Industrial processes often involve separating mixtures that are anything but simple. When components have similar boiling points, form azeotropes, or are sensitive to heat, conventional distillation quickly reaches its limits. Sulzer’s OptimEXT platform is engineered to tackle these complex separation challenges, delivering efficient, selective extraction even under the most demanding conditions.
The Challenge of Complex Mixtures
Many industrial streams contain components that are difficult to separate due to:
Azeotropes: Mixtures that cannot be separated by standard distillation.
Thermal Sensitivity: Compounds that degrade or react at high temperatures.
Poor Phase Separation: Emulsions or low interfacial tension complicate traditional separation methods.
Similar Boiling Points: Making selective separation by distillation inefficient or impossible.
These challenges can lead to product losses, increased waste, and higher operational costs.
How OptimEXT Overcomes Separation Challenges
Advanced Liquid-Liquid Extraction Technology
OptimEXT leverages the power of liquid-liquid extraction, a process based on the different solubilities of components in two immiscible or partially miscible liquids. By introducing a suitable extractant (solvent), OptimEXT enables the selective transfer of target components from the feed into the solvent phase—even for the most complex mixtures.
Integrated, Flexible Equipment Solutions
OptimEXT combines Sulzer’s full range of extraction technologies:
Kühni Agitated Columns (ECR): Ideal for flexible operation and high selectivity, even with varying process parameters.
Packed Columns (ECP): Perfect for high throughput and challenging physical properties, such as low density differences or emulsions.
Mixer-Settlers (EMS/ECMS): Best for stage-wise contact, long residence times, or reactive extractions.
This modular approach ensures the right solution for every process, no matter how complex.
Overcoming Specific Challenges
Azeotropes: OptimEXT breaks through azeotropic barriers by leveraging selective solvent extraction, enabling the separation of components that distillation cannot handle.
Thermal Sensitivity: Extraction at low temperatures preserves heat-sensitive compounds, ensuring product quality and yield.
Poor Phase Separation: Advanced column and mixer-settler designs manage emulsions and low interfacial tension, delivering reliable phase separation and high purity.
Application Success Stories
Fine and Specialty Chemicals
A specialty chemicals manufacturer faced the challenge of separating valuable intermediates from a mixture containing azeotropes and thermally sensitive components. By implementing an OptimEXT system with a Kühni agitated column, they achieved high selectivity and product purity—while minimizing thermal degradation.
Pharmaceutical Industry
A pharmaceutical plant needed to recover active ingredients from a complex mixture prone to emulsion formation. Sulzer’s packed column solution within the OptimEXT platform provided efficient separation and reliable scale-up, ensuring compliance with strict quality standards.
Hydrometallurgy
In metal extraction, where electrolytic solutions contain closely related metals, OptimEXT mixer-settlers enabled selective separation and high recovery rates, maximizing resource utilization and minimizing waste.
Why Choose OptimEXT for Complex Mixtures?
Selective, Efficient Separation: Tailored solutions for the most challenging mixtures.
Modular, Scalable Design: Easy integration and reliable scale-up for any process size.
Proven Performance: Backed by Sulzer’s decades of expertise and hundreds of successful installations worldwide.
Reduced Costs and Waste: Higher yields, lower energy use, and minimized environmental impact.
Conclusion
Complex industrial mixtures don’t have to mean complex problems. With Sulzer’s OptimEXT, you gain access to advanced liquid-liquid extraction and solvent recovery technologies designed to overcome the toughest separation challenges—delivering reliable, selective, and efficient results for your process.
Contact Us
Facing complex separation challenges? Contact Sulzer today to find your solution with OptimEXT and take your process performance to the next level.
