The influence of temperature on the liquid–liquid–solid equilibria of the ternary system water + ethanol + 1-dodecanol

Abstract

The process of recovery by liquid–liquid extraction of ethanol manufactured in a fermentation process could be improved by using solvents as 1-dodecanol that have a good separation factor. In this work, liquid–liquid equilibrium data for the ternary system water–ethanol–1-dodecanol have been determined experimentally at 5, 8, 15, 23 and 30 ºC. The results show different shapes of the equilibrium diagrams depending on the temperature. A region with three phases (liquid–liquid–solid) appears in the temperature range between 8 and 23 ºC. The lowest temperature at which a water–ethanol–dodecanol mixture cannot be split in two liquid phases has been determined as 8 ºC.