Measurements of Liquid−Liquid Equilibria for a Methanol + Glycerol + Methyl Oleate System and Prediction Using Group Contribution Statistical Associating Fluid Theory

A good understanding and prediction of the phase equilibrium of the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) + glycerol + methanol ternary system is needed to design and optimize the separation unit of the biodiesel production process. In this work, new experimental vapor−liquid−liquid data on the ternary system have been measured at temperatures between 333.15 and 473.15 K. In addition, new data have been gathered on the methanol + glycerol [vapor−liquid equilibrium (VLE)] and methanol + methyl oleate (VLE and liquid−liquid equilibrium) binary systems. A group contribution method combined with a statistical associating fluid theory equation of state (GC-PPC-SAFT) proposed earlier by our group (Tamouza, S., Passarello, J.-P., Tobaly, P., and de Hemptinne, J.-C. Group contribution method with SAFT EOS applied to vapor liquid equilibria of various hydrocarbons series. Fluid Phase Equilib. 2004, 222−223, 67−76) and recently extended to predict VLE of heavy esters and their mixtures (Nguyen Huynh, D., Falaix, A., Passa...