Effect of alkanolammonium formates ionic liquids on vapour liquid equilibria of binary systems containing water, methanol, and ethanol

Vapour pressures were measured using a quasi-static ebulliometer for the pseudo-binary mixtures of (water + ethanol), (water + methanol), and (methanol + ethanol) containing an alkanolammonium-based ionic liquid (IL), namely, mono-ethanolammonium formate ([HMEA][HCOO]) and di-ethanolammonium formate ([HDEA][HCOO]), respectively, with fixed IL mass fraction of 0.30 and over the temperature ranges of (292.12 to 371.13) K. The vapour pressures of the IL-containing ternary systems were favourably correlated using the NRTL model with an overall average absolute relative deviation (AARD) of 0.0082. Further, the salt effects of [HMEA][HCOO] and [HDEA][HCOO] on isobaric vapour liquid equilibria (VLE) of azeotrope and close boiling mixture, especially for the mixtures of (water + ethanol) and (methanol + ethanol), were investigated and compared with other ILs in terms of the x′–y phase diagrams predicted with the binary NRTL parameters. It is demonstrated that the relative volatilities of ethanol to water and ethanol to methanol are enhanced, and [HMEA][HCOO] might be used as a promising entrainer for the efficient separation of ethanol aqueous solution by special rectification.

► Vapour pressures for six ternary systems containing an IL were measured. ► Components studied were water, ethanol, methanol, and alkanolammonium formates. ► The isobaric VLE were predicted using the fitted binary NRTL parameters. ► The ILs studied can generate a promising salt effect on VLE of azeotrope. ► [HMEA][HCOO] might be used as a potential entrainer in extractive distillation.