Levulinic and lactic acids are important feedstock in a wide range of different industries such as polymer, pharmaceutical, or food manufacture. In this work, a study about levulinic acid and lactic acid recovery from their aqueous solutions was carried out using the hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonil)imide, [BMim][NTf 2 ]. Liquid−liquid equilibria data for the ternary systems water + levulinic acid or lactic acid + IL were determined. The obtained experimental data were correlated by using the nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) equation. An analysis of the influence of the acid structure and the addition of salting-out agents (potassium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, and saccharose) on the phase equilibria, was also carried out. [BMim][NTf 2 ] was found to be a good extractant for the recovery of levulinic acid and the extraction process was improved by the addition ammonium sulfate.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.