Isobaric Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium Experiment of N-Propanol and N-Propyl Acetate at 101.3 kPa

Abstract

N-Propanol (NPA) and n-propyl acetate (NPAC) can form an azeotrope under normal pressure, so their separation cannot be carried out by conventional distillation. Therefore, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole acetate ([BMIM][OAC]) and ethylene glycol (EG) were selected as entrainers for extractive distillation of the two substances. Isobaric vapor–liquid equilibrium data were obtained by experiments of NPA + NPAC, NPA + NPAC + [BMIM][OAC], and NPA + NPAC + EG at normal pressure; the experimental results showed that the separation effect of [BMIM][OAC] is significantly better than that of EG. Finally, the data were fitted and correlated with the NRTL model. The ARD (average relative deviation) of NPA + NPAC, NPA + NPAC + [BMIM][OAC], and NPA + NPAC + EG is less than 5%, indicating that the NRTL model has good applicability to the vapor–liquid system.