Liquid–liquid equilibria in the ternary systems {hexadecane + BTX aromatics + 2-methoxyethanol or acetonitrile} at 298.15 K

The liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) data were determined for the ternary systems {hexadecane + benzene + 2-methoxyethanol}, {hexadecane + toluene + 2-methoxyethanol}, {hexadecane + p-xylene + 2-methoxyethanol}, {hexadecane + benzene + acetonitrile}, {hexadecane + toluene + acetonitrile} and {hexadecane + p-xylene + acetonitrile} at 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure. From the LLE data, the selectivity of 2-methoxyethanol and acetonitrile was analyzed to test solvent capability for the separation of aromatic compounds from (aliphatic + aromatic) mixture. The experimental ternary LLE data correlated well with the NRTL and UNIQUAC activity coefficient models with a root mean square deviation (RMSD) of less than 1%. The reliability of the experimental tie line data was ascertained by using the Othmer–Tobias correlation. The selectivity of 2-methoxyethanol and acetonitrile for BTX aromatics was found to be dozens of times more than the unity for both solvents, especially for low concentrations of aromatic compounds.