Evaluation of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate and 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methylsulfate as solvents for extraction of alkylbenzenes from hexadecane at 313 and 333Â K

Six ternary systems composed of hexadecane + propylbenzene, butylbenzene, or mesitylene+1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate [emim][CH3SO4] or 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methylsulfate [mmim][CH3SO4] were used to examine the liquid separation of aromatic compounds (alkylbenzenes) from hexadecane at 313 and 333 K and an atmospheric pressure of 101.3 kPa. In addition, the effect of temperature and aromatic structure on solubility, distribution ratio, and selectivity was investigated. The UNIQUAC model was used to correlate the experimental liquid-liquid equilibria data, which is also presented in phase diagrams. The results suggest that both solvents ([emim][CH3SO4] and [mmim][CH3SO4]) are feasible alternatives to conventional solvents for the extraction of aromatics, with higher selectivities and distribution coefficients observed for [emim][CH3SO4] than for [mmim][CH3SO4].