γ-Valerolactone as a Green Solvent for Extracting Carboxylic Acids and Alcohols from n-Tetradecane: Equilibrium Data for Model Systems at 298.15 K

Abstract

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) is a renewable, low-toxic molecule obtained from lignocellulosic biomass, which presents interesting properties for usage as a solvent, supporting the development of sustainable and safe processes. This work presents liquid–liquid equilibrium data for five ternary model systems containing n-tetradecane + GVL + alcohol (1-propanol or 1-butanol or 1-pentanol) or carboxylic acid (propanoic acid or pentanoic acid) at 298.15 K. The equilibrium compositions were indirectly quantified by means of density and composition correlations of the solubility curve data. After parameter adjustments of the NRTL and UNIQUAC models, deviations were between 0.24 and 1.29%. The partition ratios of the oxygenated solutes were higher than 1.4 in all cases, and the minimal value of the solvent selectivity was 28.7, indicating that the GVL successfully extracted such polar oxygenated solutes from a mixture with a hydrocarbon like the ones expected to be found in a Fischer–Tropsch process.

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

“…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]. However, to date, under ambient conditions, no solvent has been implemented for the separation of detergent alcohols from alkanes.…”