Abstract:
In the scope of this study, different solvents were evaluated with the aim of improving the extraction of propionic acid from aqueous solutions. Specifically, pentane, hexane, 1-butanol, and cyclohexanol were tested as extraction solvents.To determine the performance of these different solvents, the solubility curve data were established for each of them, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. These liquid-liquid equilibrium data are essential for understanding the partitioning behavior of propionic acid between the aqueous phase and the organic phase. From these equilibrium lines, key parameters could be calculated, such as the separation factor (S) and the distribution coefficient. These indicators allow evaluating the efficiency with which each solvent can separate and concentrate the propionic acid in the organic phase.The detailed study of these equilibrium data and the performance parameters of the solvents thus made it possible to identify that hexane is the most selective solvent for the efficient extraction of propionic acid from the aqueous solutions.The reliability of the equilibrium data obtained was verified by the application of well-known empirical correlations, such as those of Othmer-Tobias, Hand, reduced Eisen-Joffe, Bachman, and Ishida. These analyses confirmed the consistency and robustness of the experimental results
