Evaluation of Diethyl Carbonate and Methyl Isobutyl Ketone as Entrainers for the Separation of 1-Hexene and n-Hexane

Diethyl carbonate and methyl isobutyl ketone are tested as possible entrainers for separating 1-hexene and n-hexane by extractive distillation. For this purpose, isobaric vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data at 100 kPa have been obtained for the two ternary systems formed by the two hydrocarbons and one of the selected solvents: 1-hexene + n-hexane + diethyl carbonate and 1-hexene + n-hexane + methyl isobutyl ketone. VLE data for the following constituent binary systems have also been determined: 1-hexene + diethyl carbonate, n-hexane + diethyl carbonate, 1-hexene + methyl isobutyl ketone, and finally n-hexane + methyl isobutyl ketone. All binary systems present moderate positive deviations from Raoult’s law, and neither binary systems nor ternary systems show an azeotrope. The local composition models Wilson, UNIQUAC, and NRTL have been used for correlating VLE data and evaluating solvent effects.