1-Butanol Separation from Aqueous Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) Solutions by Freeze Concentration

Abstract

The suspension freeze crystallization of aqueous 1-butanol solutions, synthetic acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) solutions, and ABE fermentation broth was studied as a novel concentration method that requires less energy than evaporation for water removal. The equimolar aqueous ABE solutions in a total molality range of 0–5.05 mol/kg(water) were proven to be ideal solutions based on the freezing point depression obtained. An aqueous solution of 8 wt % 1-butanol and three different types of aqueous ABE solutions (3:8:1:88 ABEW, 6:16:2:76 ABEW, and 10:17:2:71 ABEW (wt %)) were concentrated for 80 min by suspension freeze crystallization in a subcooling range from 0.24 to 1.15 °C. Freeze crystallization enabled 1-butanol separation from the generated mother liquor, which split into two liquid phases after ice separation, i.e., a water-enriched phase and a 1-butanol-enriched phase. Ice yield values were higher for higher subcooling degrees and higher initial water content in the feed solutions. 1-Butanol yields separated from the mother liquors were 9.85%, 59.46%, and 22.46% for 3:8:1:88 ABEW, 6:16:2:76 ABEW, and 10:17:2:71 ABEW, respectively, whereas two-stage freeze crystallization of the fermentation broths resulted in water removal with a maximum relative percentage of 29.5%.

Nucleation Kinetics of Freeze Crystallization with Various Aqueous Solutions

“…3. The freezing points of the [DBNH][OAc] and ABE solutions had been determined experimentally in previous studies [11,12] and, in the case of sucrose, temperature data were taken from the literature [13]. The freezing point depression of pyrolysis oil extract is not shown as a function of mole fraction due to the complexity of its composition.…”

Formulation of a Stable Oil-in-Water Microemulsion of Torreya grandis cv. Merrillii Aril Essential Oil and Its Application in Loquat Fruit Preservation

“…1-butanol is a valuable platform chemical that can be produced by the anaerobic continuous acetone-butanolethanol fermentation of glucose derived from pretreated biomass. It is widely used in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries as a green solvent [16]. The combination of surfactants was found to enhance the emulsification of essential oils, which may be attributed to the increased surfactant partitioning at the oil-water interface [17].…”