Solid–liquid equilibrium in ternary mixtures of ethyl laurate, ethyl palmitate and ethyl myristate

• The SLE of mixtures of ethyl laurate, ethyl palmitate and ethyl myristate was studied.
• Binary and ternary equilibrium data were obtained.
• Peritectic and metatectic reactions were observed.
• The Flory–Huggins model was used to describe liquid-phase non-ideality.
• The liquidus line of the ternary system was satisfactorily correlated using this equation.

An experimental study into the solid–liquid equilibrium of ternary mixtures of ethyl laurate, ethyl palmitate and ethyl myristate, commonly present in biodiesel, is presented. Experimental results reveal the polymorphism of ethyl myristate and show the existence of a peritectic-type reaction in binary systems containing such compound, as well as in the ternary system. A probable metatectic reaction was also found for the binary system ethyl laurate and ethyl myristate. The experimental results were modeled considering an approach recently developed for systems with immiscible solid phases and peritectic reactions.