Effect of ethanol and n-octane on the solubility of stearic acid in the supercritical CO2

Solubilities of stearic acid in supercritical CO2 with ethanol and n-octane cosolvents were determined at 318.15 K in the pressure range from 96 to 165 bar, and the cosolvent concentrations range from 0.0 to 3.7 mol%. The corresponding densities of the fluid phases were also measured. It was observed that both of the cosolvents enhance the solubility significantly. The solubility increases with pressure noticeably at lower pressures, especially at lower cosolvent concentrations. The effect of pressure on the solubility is very limited at higher pressures or higher cosolvent concentrations.