Use of gasoline to extract ethanol from aqueous solution for producing gasohol
The purpose of this study was to explore the technical feasibility of using gasoline to extract ethanol from aqueous solution for producing gasohol directly. Gasohol is a mixture of 10 vol % ethanol, derived from agricultural products, and 90 vol % unleaded gasoline. Experimental results from both a simulated 3-stage countercurrent extraction scheme and a bench-scale continuous extraction column show that gasohol can be produced by extracting ethanol from a 90 wt % ethanol aqueous solution. The extractions were conducted at temperatures from ambient up to 108/sup 0/F, and four different unleaded gasoline bases were successfully used as the solvents. These results were qualitatively predicted from theoretical calculations based on phase diagrams using two different types of gasolines as the extractive solvents. Various amounts of water will be extracted along with ethanol, depending upon the aromatics content in the gasoline. In a continuous extraction column, the gasohol extracted by highly aromatic gasoline (33 vol % aromatics) could contain up to 0.7 wt % water. Even a minor amount of water in gasohol will create a phase separation in colder climates. Both molecular sieve adsorption and chemical treatment can effectively remove the minor amount of water from the product gasohol. However, the economics of these treatments need to be investigated.
- Research Organization:
- Phillips Research Center, Phillips Petroleum Company, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
- OSTI ID:
- 5334468
- Journal Information:
- Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev.; (United States), Journal Name: Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev.; (United States) Vol. 24:2; ISSN IEPDA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
ADSORBENTS
ADSORPTION
ALCOHOLS
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
DIAGRAMS
DISPERSIONS
ECONOMICS
ETHANOL
EXTRACTION
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FUELS
GASOHOL
GASOLINE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LIQUID FUELS
MIXTURES
MOLECULAR SIEVES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
QUANTITY RATIO
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
SORPTION
SYNTHESIS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
UNLEADED GASOLINE
WATER