Phase equilibria of aqueous solutions of formaldehyde and methanol: Improved approach using UNIQUAC coupled to chemical equilibria

Abstract

The study of the phase equilibria involving formaldehyde is still relevant because of its presence in new processes where biomass is the raw material. The coupling between physical phase equilibria and chemical reactions makes its thermodynamic description a challenging task. In this work, an improved approach using UNIQUAC coupled to chemical equilibria was developed and compared with experimental data from the literature. The first application was done for the phase equilibria of the formaldehyde–water system and distribution of oligomers in the liquid phase was computed. The second and the third applications respectively considered the phase equilibria of the formaldehyde–methanol system and the formaldehyde–water–methanol system.