Theory of the equilibrium in a microapparatus for the isolation and concentration of organic substances from water by continuous steam distillation-extraction
The phase equilibrium establishing in a microapparatus designed for the isolation and concentration of organic substances from water by continuous steam distillation-extraction is treated. This technique, used for the preconcentration of water pollutants followed by the gas chromatographic analysis of the extract, is suitable for organic substances with boiling temperatures higher than that of water which form azeotropic mixtures with water, the boiling temperatures of which are lower than those of water and the organic substances themselves. The organic solvent used for the extraction must have a very low boiling temperature. The recovery from the whole procedure and the concentration factor depend on the volumes of the water sample and the organic solvent as well as on the volume of the space where the extraction of the organic substance from the aqueous condensate takes place.