Seek a separation scheme for the o-xylene, ethanol, and water ternary system!
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In the actual production process, a ternary system with a composition of 20% o-xylene, 73% ethanol, and 7% water is generated, and this mixture needs to be separated before it can be reused. Please discuss a practical separation scheme; thank you!
Reply to 1# zhanyl628: ① Use the ion exchange resin adsorption method for the separation of o-xylene； ②Based on the difference in boiling points between ethanol and water, distillation can be used to separate them ； (Ethanol boiling point: 78.4°C; Water boiling point: 100°C) at standard pressure.
Are o-xylene and water miscible? They’re not miscible, right! After standing, separation by layers occurs; the previous ortho-xylene is separated, while the ethanol and water in the lower layer are sent for distillation. The intermediate layer can be kept in the reactor for use in the next separation process. This separation can be enhanced by adding acid or base, which should improve the separation effect; however, neutralization is required again before distillation.
Properties of o-xylene: It is miscible with ethanol and insoluble in water. So can this ternary system remain stable? Has the original poster tried a static test? I’m not sure either if my approach will work