A Dissolution Kinetic Study of Disperse Dye in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide to Design an Efficient Supercritical Dyeing Process

The dissolution behavior of dye in supercritical carbon dioxide influences the overall mass transfer that controls a supercritical dyeing process. Increasing the dissolution rate of the dye leads to shortening of the dyeing process time and can improve the efficiency of the process. Controlling the properties of the carbon dioxide flow is a good method to improve the dissolution rate of dyes. In this study, a dissolution kinetic model was designed by quantitatively analyzing and formulating the dissolution phenomenon of dyes using an in situ UV/Vis spectrometer. Through this model, the dissolution rate was compared by varying the geometric shape of the column containing the dye and the flow rate of carbon dioxide. Moreover, the correlation equation between the Reynolds number and Sherwood number was obtained through mass transfer coefficients derived under various conditions. In order to verify the utility of this equation, it was applied to a scaled-up device and the precise result could be predicted. This study can be useful in the design of dyeing processes and make-up equipment.