Sulfolane in liquid extraction: A review

Sulfolane: Magic Extractor or Bad Actor? Pilot-Scale Study on Solvent Corrosion Potential

“…Formally, sulfolane is a cyclic sulfone, containing a four-membered carbon ring and sulfonyl functional group (R2SO2) with a sulfur atom double-bonded to two oxygen atoms with a quite large dipole moment (μ=4.7 debye), dielectric constant (ευ=43.4) and low vapor pressure [12,13]. The structure of sulfolane with its zwitterionic and dritterionic resonance structures is illustrated in [14,15]. Sulfolane is the preferred solvent for these processes due to its satisfactory selectivity for the aromatics of interest, low boiling temperature and its capacity for dissolving large quantities of aromatics in relatively low quantities of solvent -the sulfolane extraction process is less expensive to operate than similar processes using other solvents.…”

“…In fact, pure sulfolane under standard operating conditions is considered to be a stable compound and non-aggressive to steel, but sulfolane systems, if contaminated by traces of oxygen and at typical process conditions (170-180ºC), may lead to sulfolane decomposition and formation of Due to its combination of physical and chemical properties (inertness and stability), sulfolane is a selective solvent in liquid-liquid and liquid-vapour extraction processed, used for the removal of close-boiling alkanes from cycloalkanes (C 5 -C 10 derived from petroleum fractions) or for the separation of compounds with different degree of saturation and polarity in the extractive rectification of arenes (BTX-benzene, toluene, xylene) from non-aromatic saturated hydrocarbon mixtures) [14,15]. Sulfolane is the preferred solvent for these processes due to its satisfactory selectivity for the aromatics of interest, low boiling temperature and its capacity for dissolving large quantities of aromatics in relatively low quantities of solvent-the sulfolane extraction process is less expensive to operate than similar processes using other solvents.…”

Separation of azeotropic mixtures using high ionicity ionic liquids based on 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate

“…The conventional extraction solvents used in industry are organic solvents, such as sulfolane [2] and tetraethylene glycol, which, due to their generally volatile, toxic and/or flammable nature, require further investments and energy for their recovery. To this end, [ 1 4 _ T D $ D I F F ] ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as an appealing option, since their use and recovery involve fewer steps, rendering less energy intensive processes [3]. ILs have already demonstrated their high separation efficiency in breaking azeotropes including outstanding examples such as ethanol + water, alcohol + alkane mixtures [1] and aliphatic + aromatic mixtures [4,5].…”

Separation of Alcohols from n-Tetradecane Using 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Hydrogensulfate

“…As an alternative, liquid-liquid extraction takes place at lower temperatures and ambient pressure and therefore some economic issues related to the energy consumption are negated. The conventional extraction solvents used in industry for olefin/paraffin separation [5] are solvents such as sulfolane [6] which, due to their generally volatility, toxicity and/or flammable nature, require further capital investment and energy for their recovery. More recently, γ-valerolactone has also been reported as a potential extractant Thermo 2022, 2 201 of polar oxygenated solutes (i.e., light alcohols and carboxylic acids) from their mixture with n-tetradecane [7].…”