Fabrication of channel type mixing devices for efficient solvent extraction for high purity silica production

As one of the most cost-effective methods to produce solar-grade silicon (SOG-Si), purification of silica solution by extracting its impurities through wet chemical processes has been proposed. This paper reports on the design of channel type reactor for liquid-liquid extraction to purify silica solution, focusing particularly on the extraction of B (boric acid) in aqueous phase with 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD) in organic phase. The reactor fabricated by 3D printing technology was designed to have two characteristic structures: (i) a throat structure that shows gradually diverging part after converging near Y shaped inlets and (ii) obstacles structure on downstream. Two solutions were made to contact with each other by turbulent mixing around the throat structure, causing small droplets formation that was dispersed and retained efficiently even on downstream by obstacles structure. This droplet dispersion shortens diffusion distance of boric acid to meet TMPD at the liquid-liquid interface, providing efficient mass transfer. At higher flow rate i.e., 380 ml/min, the extraction efficiency was 97.43% after the multi stage process. The results suggest that the channel type reactor designed here is profitable for elimination of impurities, such as B or P, in silica solution to produce SOG-Si.