Purification of toluene
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Question: How is it possible to separate toluene, with a concentration of 95% (boiling point of 110.6 degrees), from methylcyclohexane, with a concentration of 5% (boiling point of 100.3 degrees), on an industrial scale? It is required to finally purify the toluene to over 99.0% and then recover it. What unit operations to use? The total amount of the mixture is about 2 tons per hour.
In industry, distillation is commonly used to separate toluene and methylcyclohexane, specifically by employing a distillation tower. During the distillation process, since methylcyclohexane has a lower boiling point than toluene, it evaporates first; thus, purer methylcyclohexane can be collected at the top of the tower, while toluene remains mainly at the bottom of the tower. By controlling the number of theoretical plates, the reflux ratio, and the temperature gradient within the tower, the purity of toluene can be effectively increased to over 99%. After distillation, toluene can be collected directly, while methylcyclohexane can be recycled or further processed. Given the scale of production, an appropriate heat exchange system and storage facilities may also be required. .
To your question, the only answer is: distillation tower