Liquid + liquid equilibria for ternary mixtures of (solvent + aromatic hydrocarbon + alkane

Abstract

Liquid + liquid equilibrium (LLE) results for the ternary mixtures of (solvent + aromatic hydrocarbon + alkane) at different tem- peratures from (298.15 to 313.15) K are reported, where the aromatic hydrocarbon is toluene or m-xylene and the alkane is n-hep- tane or n-octane or cyclohexane and the solvent is tetramethylene sulfone (i.e., sulfolane) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or ethylene carbonate. The data were correlated with the UNIQUAC and NRTL equations. The partition coefficients and the selectivity factor of the solvents are calculated. Then, the selectivity of solvents for the extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons from alkanes has been compared. The phase diagrams for the ternary mixtures are presented and the correlated tie line results have been compared with the experimental data. The comparisons indicate the applicability of the UNIQUAC and NRTL activity coefficients model for liquid + liquid equilibrium calculations of the studied mixtures