INVERSION OF SUCROSE SOLUTION BY ION-EXCHANGE - EVALUATION OF REACTION-RATE AND DIFFUSIVITY

The inversion of sucrose solution was studied in a packed bed of stron gly acidic cation exchange resins in order to determine the values of the reaction rate constant, effective diffusivity and distribution coe fficients for 20, 30 and 40 wt.% solution concentration. Typical value s of specific rate constant for 30 wt.% sucrose solution varied from 0 .0115 to 0.7391 min(-1) in the temperature range from 30 to 70 degrees C. The intrinsic values of activation energy and Arrhenius constant w ere 24.93 kcal mol(-1) and 7.657 X 10(15) min(-1) respectively. The ef fective coefficient was about unity. It was found that liquid film mas s transfer resistance was important at low flow rates, although the so lution concentration was high.