Batch distillation is a process used in industries such as pharmaceuticals and spirits production to obtain a new product with a higher concentration of one of two liquids. The process involves heating, vaporizing, and cooling the liquids. The system includes a heating vessel, distillation column, liquid condenser, and collection lines. Tray columns allow for different product compositions in each tray position. Batch distillation is useful for quality control and customization of small quantities of product.
Batch distillation is a process in which two liquids with different boiling points are heated, vaporized and then cooled to obtain a new product with a higher concentration in one of the two liquids. During a batch distillation, no new liquids are added to the heating vessel, so over time the concentration of the product will change as the mixture is boiled and the final product is removed. Pilot plant operations, pharmaceuticals, and specialty chemical applications commonly use batch distillation to control the quality of small quantities of product.
A batch distillation system might contain a heating vessel or pot still, a distillation column which can be as simple as an empty tube or a complex column with trays or packing, a liquid condenser using water or air cooling, and collection lines and storage of the final product. The alembic heats the liquid mixture, which then travels back through the riser or column to the condenser. Water is typically used to cool the condenser, and some or all of the liquid condensate can fall back through the column, a technique known as reflux. Batch systems that return all of the condensed liquid back to the column are referred to as total reflux systems.
An advantage of using tray columns for batch distillation is that the product composition is slightly different in each tray position. Product collection lines can be installed in each tray position and a final product can be obtained by taking the distillate from one tray or from several trays. Since the composition of the still changes during the run, collection points can be changed to maintain the desired product quality.
A common application of batch distillation is the production of whiskey and other spirits. The mixture of cereals and fermented water is placed in the alembic and left to boil. The steam resulting from boiling fermented grain has a higher alcohol content than the grain mix, because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water and vaporizes to a greater extent than water. The rising vapor condenses into a liquid that is a mixture of alcohol and water, and further batch distillations of this mixture of alcohol and water will further increase the alcohol content. The distillate with the desired alcohol content is harvested, stored and aged to meet the needs of the distiller.
High-value pharmaceutical products benefit from batch distillation processes. Product quality control is critical to drug manufacturing, and batch distillation allows you to produce small quantities and check them against product specifications without risking large quantities of poor quality product. Batch systems also provide an easier method to customize drug production, because small changes can be made to batch chemicals or the distillation system can be adjusted for temperature, reflux, or operating pressure to vary the specifications of the final product.
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