Azeotropic extractive distillation

Batch Distillation Evaporation and Condensation Continuous Distillation Fractionation Rectification Reflux Distillation Vacuum Distillation Steam Distillation Azeotropic Extractive Distillation Destructive Distillation Molecular Distillation Distillation by Compression and Sublimation)... 

The choice of separation method to be appHed to a particular system depends largely on the phase relations that can be developed by using various separative agents. Adsorption is usually considered to be a more complex operation than is the use of selective solvents in Hquid—Hquid extraction (see Extraction, liquid-liquid), extractive distillation, or azeotropic distillation (see Distillation, azeotropic and extractive). Consequentiy, adsorption is employed when it achieves higher selectivities than those obtained with solvents. 

Anhydrous Acetic Acid. In the manufacture of acetic acid by direct oxidation of a petroleum-based feedstock, solvent extraction has been used to separate acetic acid [64-19-7] from the aqueous reaction Hquor containing significant quantities of formic and propionic acids. Isoamyl acetate [123-92-2] is used as solvent to extract nearly all the acetic acid, and some water, from the aqueous feed (236). The extract is then dehydrated by azeotropic distillation using isoamyl acetate as water entrainer (see DISTILLATION, AZEOTROPIC AND EXTRACTIVE). It is claimed that the extraction step in this process affords substantial savings in plant capital investment and operating cost (see Acetic acid and derivatives). A detailed description of various extraction processes is available (237). 

Metal chlorides which are not readily salted out by hydrochloric acid can require high concentrations of HCl for precipitation. This property is used to recover hydrogen chloride from azeotropic mixtures. A typical example is the calcium chloride [10043-52-4] addition used to breakup the HCl—H2O azeotrope and permit recovery of HCl gas by distillation (see Distillation, azeotropic and extractive). 

The cmde wax is refined by extracting at 90—100°C with an azeotropic mixture of benzene and a mixture of alcohols, typically 85% benzene and 15% methanol (see Distillation, azeotropic and extractive). Distilling the solvent leaves a wax too daddy colored to be used without added refining. 

Azeotropic and Extractive Distillations. Effective as they are for producing various Hquid fractions, distillation units generally do not produce specific fractions. In order to accommodate the demand for such products, refineries have incorporated azeotropic distillation and extractive distillation in their operations (see Distillation, azeotropic and extractive). 

If the molecular species in the liquid tend to form complexes, the system will have negative deviations and activity coefficients less than unity, eg, the system chloroform—ethyl acetate. In a2eotropic and extractive distillation (see Distillation, azeotropic and extractive) and in Hquid-Hquid extraction, nonideal Hquid behavior is used to enhance component separation (see Extraction, liquid—liquid). An extensive discussion on the selection of nonideal addition agents is available (17). 

Use of Azeotropes to Remove Water. With the aliphatic alcohols and esters of medium volatility, a variety of azeotropes is encountered on distillation (see Distillation, azeotropic and extractive). Removal of these azeotropes from the esterification reaction mixture drives the equihbrium in favor of the ester product (39). 

FIG. 13-7 Separation operations related to distillation, (a) Flush vaporization or partial condensation, (h) Absorption, (c) Rectifier, (d) Stripping, (e) Reboded stripping, (f ) Reboiled absorption, (g) Refluxed stripping, (h) Extractive distillation. ( ) Azeotropic distillation. 

Methyl acetate-methanol Minimum boiling azeotrope None Element of recovery system for alternative to production of methyl acetate by reactive distillation alternative to azeotropic, extractive... 

Deviations from Raonlt s law in solution behavior have been attributed to many charac teristics such as molecular size and shape, but the strongest deviations appear to be due to hydrogen bonding and electron donor-acceptor interac tions. Robbins [Chem. Eng. Prog., 76(10), 58 (1980)] presented a table of these interactions. Table 15-4, that provides a qualitative guide to solvent selection for hqnid-hqnid extraction, extractive distillation, azeotropic distillation, or even solvent crystallization. The ac tivity coefficient in the liquid phase is common to all these separation processes. 

As mentioned earlier the ease or difficulty of separating two products depends on the difference in their vapor pressures or volatilities. There are situations in the refining industry in which it is desirable to recover a single valuable compound in high purity from a mixture with other hydrocarbons which have boiling points so close to the more valuable product that separation by conventional distillation is a practical impossibility. Two techniques which may be applied to these situations are azeotropic distillation and extractive distillation. Both methods depend upon the addition to the system of a third component which increases the relative volatility of the constituents to be separated. 

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