Separation of Azeotropic Mixtures of Ethyl Acetate + Methylcyclohexane: Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium Measurements

Abstract

It is a challenge to separate ethyl acetate from methylcyclohexane because of the azeotropic phenomenon. To provide a basis for the design of the separation process, the isobaric vapor–liquid equilibria for an ethyl acetate + methylcyclohexane binary system were measured at 101.3 and 20.0 kPa using a modified Othmer-type still. The results show that ethyl acetate and methylcyclohexane form a miscible azeotropic mixture with minimum boiling temperature (349.99 K at 101.3 kPa), of which the composition varies slightly with decreasing pressure (≤101.3 kPa). It implies that ethyl acetate cannot be separated from methylcyclohexane by pressure-swing distillation. The azeotropy of ethyl acetate and methylcyclohexane disappears in the presence of decane (∼0.5 mole fraction), which means that ethyl acetate can be separated from methylcyclohexane by extractive distillation with decane as an entrainer.

Thermodynamic Behavior of the (Methylcyclopentane + Ethyl Acetate) Binary Liquid Mixture: Density at Several Temperatures and Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium at 25, 50, and 101.3 kPa

“…(d) Percent errors of NRTL model K 1 -values. +: data from this work; circles: Zhao et al; triangles: Gmehling and Bölts azeotropic point.…”

“…(c) Methylcyclohexane. Open circles: Zhao et al +: Wichterle and Linek Open squares: Sapei et al Open diamonds: Pereiro et al Open triangles: Mokbel et al Filled triangles: Loras et al…”

“…(a) Ethyl acetate. × : Fernández et al Open circles: Zhao et al +: Wichterle and Linek . Open squares: Ambrose et al Open diamonds: Shaahmadi et al (b) Methylcyclopentane.…”

“…In addition, the system EA + methylcyclohexane (mC6) was also studied for comparison with previously published data − and validation of the experimental protocol applied in this study.…”

“…Despite the numerous works featuring ethyl acetate, systems containing ethyl acetate and a branched naphthene (branched cyclic hydrocarbons such as methylcyclopentane, methylcyclohexane, and ethylcyclohexane) have received less attention. To our knowledge, methylcyclohexane + ethyl acetate − is the only studied binary system of this kind. Yet, the structural groups CH 2,cyclic and CH cyclic can be found in many molecules, including heavy molecules, biomolecules, and pharma-type molecules.…”