There is a large number of liquid-liquid extraction processes where ionic liquids (ILs) are proposed as solvents. However, the development of the purification and IL regeneration units still represents a challenge. Several effective separation trains were proposed to regenerate ILs, but extreme vacuum is needed to achieve commercial standards, which demands extra energy and extra solvent consumptions due to recycling streams. In this proposal, the use of stripping columns stands as a promising IL regeneration technology to avoid vacuum conditions and to enhance the separation of the compounds that form the extract stream, explored in the aromatic-aliphatic separation. COSMO-based/Aspen Plus methodology is applied to extensively evaluate the role of the IL nature and easily evaluate the influence of the main operating variables, namely temperature feed, column pressure, reboiler heat, number of stages on the separation efficiency. A critical comparison between current proposal and the benchmark IL regeneration process is reported, analyzing the aromatic recovery, energy duty and operating cost. The use of two stripping columns for the IL regeneration stage evidences the potential of this new configuration, drawing a new paradigm in which mild conditions are enough to conceptual design new separation processes involving ILs.
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.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.