US EPA

8306123 

Journal Article 

Entrainer for separation of n-hexane and ethyl acetate by batch azeotropic distillation 

Bai, P; Zhu, L; Li, X; Zeng, J 

2006 

1 

Shiyou Huagong
ISSN: 1000-8144 

35 

1 

37-41 

Chinese 

The entrainer for separation of n-hexane-ethyl acetate azeotrope by batch azeotropic distillation was studied. Effects of the amount entrainer used in the system on yields of n-hexane and ethyl acetate was studied. Acetone was chosen as the suitable entrainer for separation of the azeotrope. Yields of n-hexane and ethyl acetate were 75.15 and 73.89%, respectively, when m(acetone)/m(n-hexane) = 1.15:1. n-Hexane-acetone azeotrope and high-purity ethyl acetate were obtained successively at column top by distillation, then n-hexane-acetone azeotropic mixture was separated in an extraction tower using water as solvent to obtain high purity n-hexane, and the extractive was finally rectified to get high purity acetone in entrainer recovery tower. 

Acetone; Batch azeotropic distillation; Entrainer; Ethyl acetate; N-Hexane; Residue curve