Isobaric vapor–liquid–liquid equilibrium and vapor–liquid equilibrium for the system water–ethanol-1,4-dimethylbenzene at 101.3 kPa

An all-glass, dynamic recirculating still equipped with an ultrasonic homogenizer has been used to determine vapor–liquid (VLE) and vapor–liquid–liquid (VLLE) equilibria. Consistent data have been obtained for the ternary water + ethanol + p-xylene system at 101.3 kPa for temperatures in the range of 351.16–365.40 K. Experimental results have been used to check the accuracy of the UNIFAC, UNIQUAC and NRTL models in the liquid–liquid region of importance in the dehydration of ethanol by azeotropic distillation.