A mixture of ortho, meta, and para mononitrotoluenes containing 60 mol%, 14 mol%, and 26 mol%, respectively is to be continuously distilled in a column with a total condenser and a partial reboiler. The feed flowrate is 100 mol/hr. The fractional recovery of ortho-mononitrotoluene in the distillate is 91% and fractional recovery of meta-mononitrotoluene in the bottoms is 92%. The relative volatilities of the components at column conditions are provided below. Assume CMO. Clearly state the assumptions that you make to:

1. a) Determine the distillate and bottoms flow rates. Determine the mole fractions of each component in the distillate and bottoms.

2. b) Prepare approximate composition profiles (mole fraction of liquid leaving stage) for each component. Label each curve. You may assume the column has 10 stages. Stage 1 is the bottom-most stage in the column. The feed is added on stage 4. Your x-axis labels should identify the reboiler, feed stage, and condenser.

3. c) Explain your reasoning to prepare each profile.

4. d) How many columns, in total, are required to produce high purity streams (i.e. xi>0.95) of ortho-nitrotoluene, meta-nitrotoluene, and para-nitrotoluene?

Clortho-para 1.70 Olmeta-para 1.16 Apara-para 1.0