Gas-liquid countercurrent flow characteristics in a microbubble column reactor

Countercurrent flow mode is widely utilized in many chemical unit operations due to its effective enhancement of mass transfer driving force. While the microbubble column reactor has garnered attention for its substantial gas-liquid specific surface area and fast mass transfer rate under the concurrent flow condition, countercurrent flow microbubble column reactors remain relatively underexplored. Consequently, in this study a novel microbubble generator device featuring gas-liquid co-crossing a microfiltration membrane was developed. This device could generate microbubbles with narrow size distribution, and proved suitable for integration into the countercurrent microbubble column reactor. Further investigation ensued to elucidate the operational principles of this dispersion method. Finally, the hydrodynamic behavior of the countercurrent microbubble column reactor was examined. Remarkably, a gas-liquid-specific surface area 2300 m2/m3 2 /m 3 was reached, surpassing that of conventional bubble column reactors by a significant margin. New gas-liquid chemical processes and process intensification technologies could be developed accordingly.