Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. would like to improve a current process that uses a reactive gas to form a gas product in a Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR). It has been determined that oxygen (O₂) and nitrogen (N₂) are two gases that can be used to simulate this reaction. Therefore, the aim of this project is to investigate the rate at which O₂ is absorbed when it reacts with a sodium sulfite (Na₂SO₃) solution while in the presence of cobalt sulfate (CoSO₄) as a catalyst. Under the conditions chosen, the reaction of oxygen can be considered sufficiently fast that the O₂ concentration in the reactor is practically zero. Therefore the O₂ uptake rate is affected primarily by mixing and is a direct measure of the O₂ mass transfer rate. The following equation shows the oxidation reaction that will be completed:

Na₂SO₃ + 1/2 O₂ → Na₂SO₄

This project will be realized with the intent of simulating a modified industrial process of one of the company's various products. By modifying this industrial process it is expected to obtain a better yield of the product with the same amount of raw material. This will result in the optimization of an existing process, which will eventually lead to economical savings.