γ-Valerolactone
(GVL) is a biomass-based chemical with appealing
physicochemical properties for use as a solvent, but its actual development
of extraction processes still requires an extensive mapping of the
thermodynamic equilibrium involved and accurate models for simulation.
In this sense, this work aimed at evaluating the liquid–liquid
equilibrium of model systems, composed of n-tetradecane
+ GVL + aldehyde [butanal or pentanal, or (E)-2-undecenal]
at 298.15 K, related to the extraction of oxygenated contaminants
in a Fischer–Tropsch diesel process. Phase compositions in
equilibrium were indirectly determined by means of density correlation
along the solubility curve. Both short-chain aldehydes, butanal and
pentanal, distributed preferably within the solvent phase, resulting
in the partition ratio (K
i
) within the range of 1.36–2.9 and selectivity higher than
33.1, which reveals the suitability for using GVL as the solvent.
The binary interaction parameters of the NRTL and UNIQUAC models successfully
correlated the experimental data, resulting in maximum root mean square
deviations of 0.38 and 0.47%, respectively.