Prediction of VLE behavior of Isopropyl alcohol + ethyl acetate azeotropic mixture

Iso propyl alcohol (IA) and Ethyl acetate are important chemicals used to produce biofuel which
is degradable and a renewable fuel. These are extensively used solvents I pharmaceutical
industries and the waste water from these industries contains ethyl acetate and isopropyl
alcohol which form an azeotropic mixture.Recovery of these solvents is necessary as they find
their applications in paint,cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.IPA is used as an
antiseptic,surface disinfectant in medical field,sanitiser,etc.

Azeotropes are constant boiling binary mixtures that behave like a pure fluid. They evaporate
at a constant temperature and condense at a constant pressure. Compositions of mixture in
vapour and liquid phases will be same. Separation of such mixtures is not possible with simple
or fractional distillation because of very less difference in their boiling points. So, we use
azeotropic distillation in which a third component is added to the mixture to form a new
azeotropic mixture between one of the original components and third component to increase
difference between boiling points.

Best economical design of distillation columns for azeotropes depends on different

thermodynamic models and methods of prediction of VLE opted.

VLE refers to a system in which a liquid phase is in equilibrium with its vapour. Here all the
phase containing gradients are absent with no tendency for change with time.

VLE data can be theoretically predicted by thermodynamic models based on fundamental

phase equilibrium criterion of equal chemical potential in both phases using gamma – phi
calculation method. This method requires calculation of activity coefficients which can be found
using models and equations proposed by Van Laar,Margules,Wilson,NRTL,UNIQUAC and
Equation Of States like Vanderwaals,Redlich Kwong,Soave/Redlich/Kwong and Peng Robinson
equations.

We generate phase diagrams for the theoretically obtained VLE data and compare the results
with experimental results taken from literature. Finally,based on the error percentage between
different theoretical results and experimental results we select best method for designing of an
azeotropic distillation column.