Liquid–Liquid Equilibrium Data for 2-Nonanone or 3-Octanone with Acetic Acid and Water at 293.2–333.2 K and 0.1 MPa

It is important to study the separation of acetic acid from water via solvent extraction, as acetic acid is used in the production of vinegar, the synthesis of numerous acetic acid derivatives, and specific applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Identifying better solvents is an area of ongoing research as solvent choice affects process economics and environmental impact as well as health and safety. In this work, liquid–liquid equilibrium measurements were performed for the ternary systems water + acetic acid + 2-nonanone and water + acetic acid + 3-octanone at 293.2, 313.2, and 333.2 K and 0.1 MPa. The purpose of this study was to determine the selectivity and capacity of 2-nonanone and 3-octanone in order to ascertain their effectiveness as potential extraction solvents for the water/acetic acid mixture. A double-walled glass cell was used to perform the experimental measurements, with the equilibrium compositions determined by using gas chromatography. The results indicate that 2-nonanone and 3-octanone offer comparative extraction performance with solvents, such as toluene and ethyl acetate. The data were successfully modeled using the NRTL and UNIQUAC activity coefficient models.