Effect of Mono- and Di-ethanolammonium Formate Ionic Liquids on the Volatility of Water, Ethanol, and Methanol

Abstract

Vapor pressures were measured for six binary systems containing water, ethanol, or methanol with one of the two ionic liquids (ILs) at different component concentrations and temperatures using a quasi-static ebulliometer, with the ILs mono-ethanolammonium formate ([HMEA][HCOO]) and di-ethanolammonium formate ([HDEA][HCOO]). The vapor pressures of the IL-containing binary systems are well correlated using the NRTL model with an overall average absolute relative deviation (AARD) of 0.0062. The effect of ILs on the vapor pressure depression of solvents at 0.050 mole fraction of IL is that [HDEA][HCOO]>[HMEA][HCOO], and the vapor pressure lowering degree follows the order of water>methanol>ethanol. Further, the activity coefficients of three solvents (viz. water, ethanol, and methanol) for the binary systems {solvent (1)+IL (2)} predicted based on the fitted NRTL parameters at T=333.15 K indicate that the two ILs generate a negative deviation from Raoult's law for water and methanol and a positive deviation for ethanol to a varying degree, change the relative volatility of a solvent. [HMEA][HCOO] may be a promising entrainer to efficiently separate ethanol aqueous solutions by special rectification.