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Liquid Extraction of Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Tetrahydrofurfuryl Alcohol, An Environmentally Friendly Solvent

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Commercial hexane (AW-406) produced in Iran is actually a blend of aliphatic compounds consisting: n-hexane, 3-methyl pentane and methyl cyclopentane. Benzene and toluene can be found in few percent quantities as contaminants in AW-406. A liquid-liquid extraction process was applied to separate aromatic contents of AW-406 solvent. Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), a novel, naturally derived and environmentally friendly solvent was used in a bench-scale extractor and water was added as co-solvent. Liquid-liquid equilibrium data were generated experimentally. After eight stages, the yields of benzene and toluene removal were 70 and 60%, respectively. Design criteria of extraction column in a pilot scale have been obtained in regard to equilibrium calculations, number of equilibrium stages, flow rates and type of column.

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