In what situations can separation be achieved without distillation?
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I am currently refining an aqueous solution of ethylene oxide, with a small amount of water involved. All the refined products I found are indeed refined, but those involve a large amount of water in the hydration process. The boiling points of these two are 90 degrees apart; how should one determine this? It’s relatively basic knowledge – could you explain this situation from a principled perspective?
First, check to see if there is an azeotrope, and then separate it based on temperature
The relationship between solubility at room temperature and at process temperatures also needs to be considered.
To determine what processing procedure to use, first consider what raw materials you have, and second, consider what quality of product you need. 1. If the water content in the raw material is already low, adsorption for water removal can be considered. 2. If the water content in the raw material is fairly low and the quality requirements for the product are not particularly high, then simple flash evaporation might suffice. 3. If the water content in the raw material is moderate but the quality requirements for the product are high, distillation should be used~
If the temperature difference is significant, check whether the two materials can be azeotropically mixed, and then determine how to separate them!