Functionalized Solvents for Olefin Isomer Purification by Reactive Extractive Distillation

An equilibrium model is used to conceptually design a reactive extractive distillation column applying the functionalized solvent silver-D2EHPA. Such a column should be operated at a solvent to feed ratio of around 5(P = 0.2 bar, T = 311 K) for 99.5% purity and 99% recovery. Under these conditions, the minimum number of equilibrium trays (Nmin) to separate 1-hexene from 2-methyl-1-pentene is approximately 42, a dramatic decrease compared to Nmin of about 310 in the absence of silver.