Abstract
In a number of applications for which novel processes based on ionic liquids have been proposed, the recovery of the ionic liquid from its mixture with a molecular solvent is a step of critical importance for the viability of the process. In this work, feasibility and conditions for such recovery by simple flash vapourisation have been explored for the particular case of three dialkylimidazolium-based ionic liquids (namely 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate ([C2mim][SCN]), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]), and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C4mim][OAc])) and either acetone or water as representative molecular solvents of industrial relevance. The isobaric vapour-liquid equilibria of the binary systems acetone + ([C2mim][SCN] or [C4mim][OAc]) and water + ([C2mim][OAc] or [C4mim][OAc]) have been determined at three different pressures (101.32, 50.00, and 30.00 or 25.00 kPa), and the data have been suitably correlated by means of the NRTL thermodynamic model. These correlations have been used in the software Aspen Plus for the development of reliable simulations of a flash unit to perform the desired separations. The results indicate the difficulty in getting the ionic liquids recovered with high purity, even if operating the flash at a pressure as low as 5 kPa and at temperatures close to the range where the thermal stability of the ionic liquids starts to get compromised.
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