Mutual Solubility for Systems Composed of Vegetable Oil + Ethanol + Water at Different Temperatures

This study presents liquid−liquid equilibrium data for systems of interest in biodiesel production and the refining of edible oils by liquid−liquid extraction. These systems are composed of vegetable oils + anhydrous ethanol + water, at temperatures ranging from (298.15 to 333.15) K. The following vegetable oils were investigated: refined canola oil, refined corn oil, semiprocessed Jatropha curcas oil, and semiprocessed macauba ( Acrocomia aculeata ) pulp oil. According to the results, the enhancement of temperature within the study ranges increased oil−solvent miscibility in both phases. The liquid−liquid equilibrium experimental data were correlated using the non-random two liquid (NRTL) model. For all of these systems, the global deviations between calculated and experimental data were lower than 0.7 %, showing the good descriptive quality and applicability of the NRTL model in liquid−liquid analysis and computational simulation processes.