Ionic liquid effects on mass transfer efficiency in extractive distillation of water–ethanol mixtures

The relatively high viscosities of ionic liquids could reduce the mass transfer efficiency of the extractive distillation process. The rate-based model was adopted to analyze this phenomenon since it predicted the performance of an extractive distillation pilot plant using ionic liquids as solvent. For the water–ethanol separation, three ionic liquids: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide and the organic solvent ethylene glycol were used for the analysis. Simulations were conducted for sieve trays and Mellapak^® 250Y. The results indicate that relatively high viscosities affect the mass transfer efficiency. However, the improvements in relative volatilities obtained from the ionic liquids help to overcome this effect. However, with high solvent viscosities (>65 mPa s at T = 353.15 K) it was not possible to overcome the reductions. Additionally, at higher distillate rates high relative volatilities yielded negative effects on mass transfer efficiency because of a decrease in vapor velocity.     

Extraction of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins from blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) residues using supercritical CO2 and pressurized liquids

This work explored the potential of subcritical liquids and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the recovery of extracts containing phenolic compounds, antioxidants and anthocyanins from residues of blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) processing. Supercritical CO₂ and pressurized liquids are alternatives to the use of toxic organic solvents or extraction methods that apply high temperatures. Blueberry is the fruit with the highest antioxidant and polyphenol content, which is present in both peel and pulp. In the extraction with pressurized liquids (PLE), water, ethanol and acetone were used at different proportions, with temperature, pressure and solvent flow rate kept constant at 40 °C, 20 MPa and 10 ml/min, respectively. The extracts were analyzed and the highest antioxidant activities and phenolic contents were found in the extracts obtained with pure ethanol and ethanol + water. The highest concentrations of anthocyanins were recovered with acidified water as solvent. In supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with CO₂, water, acidified water, and ethanol were used as modifiers, and the best condition for all functional components evaluated was SFE with 90% CO₂, 5% water, and 5% ethanol. Sixteen anthocyanins were identified and quantified by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC).     

Catalytic effects of ferric chloride and sodium hydroxide on supercritical liquefaction of thistle (Cirsium yildizianum)

Cirsium yildizianum stalks were liquefied in organic solvents under supercritical conditions with and without catalyst in a cylindrical reactor at temperatures of 260, 280 and 300 °C. The effects of liquefaction temperature, catalyst type and solvent on product yields were investigated. The liquid products (bio-oils) were extracted with diethyl ether and benzene using an extraction procedure. The liquid yields in supercritical methanol, ethanol and acetone were found to as 45.66%, 49.34% and 60.05% in the non-catalytical runs at 300 °C, respectively. The highest conversion (liquid + gaseous products) was obtained in acetone with 10% ferric chloride at 300 °C in the catalytic runs. The produced liquids at 300 °C were analyzed and characterized by elemental, GC–MS and FT-IR. 85, 79 and 60 different types of compounds were identified by GC–MS obtained in methanol, ethanol and acetone, respectively. The liquid products were composed of various organics including aromatics, nitrogenated and oxygenated compounds.     

Supercritical CO2 extraction of bioactive Tyrian purple precursors from the hypobranchial gland of a marine gastropod

Supercritical CO₂ provides considerable advantages over traditional solvents for the extraction of bioactive compounds from organic matter. Here we demonstrate the use of supercritical CO₂ as an efficient and safe alternative to traditional solvent extraction for the recovery of bioactive Tyrian purple precursors tyrindoleninone, 6-bromoisatin and tyriverdin from the marine mollusc Dicathais orbita. The effect of pressure on the selective extraction of brominated indoles was tested at 15, 30 and 50 MPa CO₂, and was compared to traditional chloroform extract composition and yields. Extracts obtained from 15 MPa selectively concentrated 6-bromoisatin, at 78% of the extract composition, whereas increased pressures of 30 and 50 MPa increased the solvating power of supercritical CO₂ to include the more lipophilic tyrindoleninone at 35 and 29% respectively, and tyriverdin at 23 and 40% respectively. This extraction method was also effective in separating the brominated indoles from toxic choline esters in the mollusc extracts. Extract yields from supercritical CO₂ were comparable to solvent extraction relative to whole whelk weight. This provides a viable alternative for nutraceutical development that does not rely on the use of toxic solvents.     

Enzyme and high pressure assisted extraction of carotenoids from tomato waste

Enzyme (EA) and high pressure (HP) assisted extraction of carotenoids, especially lycopene, from tomato waste using various organic solvents was examined. Total carotenoid and lycopene extraction yields were increased by the use of pectinase and cellulase enzymes, when compared to the non enzyme treated solvent extraction process. The increase of extraction yield depended on the solvent. Maximum total carotenoid (127 mg/kg d.w.) and lycopene (89.4 mg/kg d.w.) extraction yields were obtained in enzyme treated samples extracted with ethyl lactate (solvent:solid = 10:1 mL:g), corresponding to almost 6-fold and 10-fold increase, respectively, with respect to non enzyme treated samples. HP assisted extraction led to higher extraction yields (from 2 to 64% increase depending on the solvent used) compared to conventional solvent extraction process performed at ambient pressure for 30 min. HP assisted solvent extraction was successfully performed at 700 MPa by using significantly (P < 0.05) lower ratios of solvent:solid (6:1 and 4:1 mL:g) and reduced processing time (10 min), compared to solvent extraction performed at ambient pressure, solvent:solid ratio 10:1 mL:g and 30 min extraction time.     

An investigation into the kinetic hydrate inhibitor properties of two imidazolium-based ionic liquids on Structure II gas hydrate

Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are used to prevent gas hydrate formation in gas and oilfield operations. All KHIs discovered to date are water-soluble polymers. However, their performance can be enhanced by certain non-polymeric organic molecules. Recently, it was claimed that certain imidazolium-based ionic liquids could have a dual function, acting as both thermodynamic inhibitors and KHIs (Xiao, C., Adidharma, H., 2009. Chem. Eng. Sci. 64, 1522). As the KHI experimental work was carried out at a temperature of –12 °C, giving a very high subcooling of about 25 °C, we reinvestigated two of these ionic liquids at more typical subsea temperatures and subcoolings. We find that these ionic liquids are very poor KHIs when used alone at 5000–10000 ppm, but they are fairly good synergists for commercial KHIs based on vinyl lactam polymers and hyperbranched poly(ester amide)s. Both ionic liquids showed only weak growth inhibition of tetrahydrofuran hydrate crystals. Finally, both ionic liquids were poorly biodegraded in the OECD306 seawater 28 day biodegradation test.     

离子液体在金属催化剂作用下的羰基化反应中的应用

离子液体是许多有机反应的优良溶剂,能够溶解许多包括金属有机化合物在内的有机物。本文重点综述了离子液体在金属催化剂作用下的羰基化反应中的应用进展。     

Selection of ionic liquids for the extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons from aromatic/aliphatic mixtures

The separation of aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes) from C₄ to C₁₀ aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures is challenging since these hydrocarbons have boiling points in a close range and several combinations form azeotropes. In this work, we investigated the separation of toluene from heptane by extraction with ionic liquids.Several ionic liquids are suitable for extraction of toluene from toluene/heptane mixtures. The toluene/heptane selectivities at 40 °C and 75 °C with several ionic liquids, [mebupy]BF₄, [mebupy]CH₃SO₄, [bmim]BF₄ (40 °C) and [emim] tosylate (75 °C), are a factor of 1.5–2.5 higher compared to those obtained with sulfolane (S_tol/hept = 30.9, D_tol = 0.31 at 40 °C), which is the most industrially used solvent for the extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons from a mixed aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon stream. From these five ionic liquids, [mebupy]BF₄ appeared to be the most suitable, because of a combination of a high toluene distribution coefficient (D_tol = 0.44) and a high toluene/heptane selectivity (S_tol/hept = 53.6). Therefore, with [mebupy]BF₄ also extraction experiments with other aromatic/aliphatic combinations (benzene/n-hexane, ethylbenzene/n-octane and m-xylene/n-octane) were carried out. The aromatic/aliphatic selectivities were all in the same range, from which it can be concluded that the toluene/heptane mixture is a representative model system for the aromatic/aliphatic separation.     

High temperature ionic conduction mediated by ionic liquid incorporated within the metal-organic framework UiO-67(Zr)

IL@MOF (IL = ionic liquid; MOF = metal organic framework) as a new type hybrid ionic conductor has attracted research interest. Ionic liquids incorporated within MOFs not only promote the ionic conductivity of ILs, but also mediate the working temperature. In our report, 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Chloride (EMIMCl) was introduced into the pores of UiO-67(Zr) MOF by taking simple strategy basing on capillary action through specific grinding and diffusing in heating process. The working temperature of EMIMCl@UiO-67 is up to 200 °C. And it shows high ionic conductivity (1.67 × 10^− 3 S·cm^− 1 at 200 °C). The activation energy was estimated to be 0.37 eV. It is noteworthy that the hybrid material can be regarded as a fast-ion conductor based on the value of high conduction and low E_a. The high-temperature and humidity-independent ion conduction as well as low activation energy make this material potentially useful for electrochemical devices.     

Synthesis of 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-based polymers: Effect of crosslinking degree,porogen and solvent on the textural properties and protein adsorption performance

The effect of polymerization parameters such as crosslinking degree, solvent and porogen, on the surface area, pore structure, morphology and protein retention capacities of 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymers obtained by photopolymerization was studied. Dimethylformamide (DMF) and acetonitrile (ACN) were used as solvents to obtain series A and B of polymers, respectively. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of 20 kDa and 1 kDa were used as polymeric porogens.The crosslinking degree and the porogen significantly affected the textural properties and the protein adsorption capacity of the polymers. Surface areas drastically decreased with increasing monomer/crosslinker ratio, due to the formation of polymeric matrixes that present wider pores, both in the meso and macropore range. Very high BSA retention capacities, up to 170 mg BSA/g, were achieved for the polymers with crosslinker contents of 70–60 mol%. The absence of porogen in the polymerization mixture or the presence of a solvent with low viscosity, favours the formation of narrower pores, which contribute to the surface area but are not accessible to large protein macromolecules.     

Sustained release of ibuprofen from polymeric micelles with a high loading capacity of ibuprofen in media simulating gastrointestinal tract fluids

Amphiphilic diblock copolymers with poly(ethylene glycol) as the hydrophilic block and a random copolymer of n-butyl methacrylate or styrene and (N,N-diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate as the hydrophobic block were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Ibuprofen, a model drug that contains a carboxylic group and hydrophobic moiety, was loaded into micelles formed from the amphiphilic diblock copolymers by a combination of ionic interaction and hydrophobic effect. The loading capacity of ibuprofen in the micelles reached 60%. Loaded ibuprofen was released in a sustained fashion into media simulating gastric fluid (pH 1.6, 2 h), small intestinal fluid (pH 7.4, 4 h), and colon fluid (pH 6.7, 18 h). Simulating the case of oral administration at 2 doses per day, loaded ibuprofen was released almost linearly against time after the second dose in media simulating human gastrointestinal tract fluids.     

The effect of extraction condition on ‘HyperCoal’ production (1)—under room-temperature filtration

In order to produce ashless coal (HyperCoal) in a high yield, extractions with several organic solvents—tetralin, 1-methylnaphthalene, dimethylnaphthalene and light cycle oil (LCO) at 200–380 °C were conducted for various ranks of coals, and subsequent solid/solution separation was done at room temperature. LCO was found to be a useful, cost-effective solvent, since it gave similar extraction yields to three other reagent solvents. The extraction yield for Illinois No. 6 coal gradually increased over 200 °C, and a significant increase in extraction yield was observed from 350 to 360 °C. We succeeded in producing ashless coal with less than 0.1% in ash content for seven of nine coals used in this study.     

离子液体在芳酮合成酰化反应中的应用

作为环境友好的新型反应介质,离子液体已广泛应用于各类反应之中.重点介绍了金属卤化物型离子液体和非金属卤化物型离子液体作为催化剂和溶剂分别在Friedel-Crafts酰基化反应中的应用.结果表明,离子液体催化Friedel-Crafts酰基化反应合成芳酮,具有无污染、催化效率高、可重复使用等优点,同时还可以作为溶剂满足合成芳酮绿色环保的需要.     

A practical and efficient synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives catalyzed by task-specific ionic liquid

A cheap and recyclable task-specific ionic liquid N, N, N-trimethyl-N-propanesulfic acid ammonium hydrogen sulfate [TMPSA] · HSO₄ was used as the catalyst for the synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives. The reaction could be accomplished in water as well as organic solvent, and the satisfactory results were obtained under the mild conditions. The products could be separated from the catalyst simply by filtration and the catalyst could be recycled and reused for several times without noticeably decreasing the catalytic activity.     

Coconut shell activated carbon tethered ionic liquids for continuous cycloaddition of CO2 to epichlorohydrin in packed bed reactor

Various ionic liquids (ILs) were in situ prepared on coconut shell activated carbon (CSAC) granules. Cycloaddition of CO₂ to epichlorohydrin (ECH) was continuously carried out in a packed-bed reactor without using solvent or cocatalyst. The conversion rates of ECH over the CSAC tethered Bmim/Br, Bmim/BF₄, Bmim-OH/Br and Bmim-COOH/Br were 63.4%, 74.5%, 83.4% and 85.9% at 140 °C and 1.4 MPa, respectively. The selectivities to epichlorohydrin carbonate (ECHC) were over 98% for the four catalysts. The ECH conversion stabilized at 82% for the CSAC tethered Bmim-COOH/Br after 50 h of continuous performance in the packed bed reactor.     

Pervaporation separation of benzene/cyclohexane through AAOM-ionic liquids/polyurethane membranes

Supported ionic liquids/polyurethane (PU) membranes were prepared by immobilizing ionic liquids on a porous anodic aluminum oxide membrane (AAOM) support that was coated on one side with polyurethane (PU). The microstructure of all membranes was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The pervaporation separation performance of the supported ionic liquids/polyurethane membranes was investigated for benzene/cyclohexane (Bz/Cy) mixtures. The SEM results demonstrated that the porous surface of the AAOM support was sealed by the dense polyurethane membrane and the pores of the AAOM support were impregnate with ionic liquids. The ionic liquids filling in the AAOM support enhanced the separation selectivity of Bz/Cy. The separation factor of Bz to Cy increased from 5 to 34.4 and the largest PSI of AAOM-[C₄mim]PF₆/PU membrane reached 452.54 g m⁻² h⁻¹ at 55 °C for a 50 wt.% Bz/Cy mixture. Because the polyurethane prevented the leakage of ionic liquids filled in the AAOM support, the supported ionic liquids/polyurethane membranes exhibited excellent stability.     

Volumetric properties of ionic liquids from cubic equation of state: Application to pure and mixture

In this work, we developed a cubic equation of state (CEOS) for modeling the volumetric properties of various ionic liquids (ILs). Two temperature-dependent parameters presented in the CEOS, have been determined from two sets of corresponding states correlations which are based on the critical point data or the surface tension of ILs. The predicted densities of pure ILs were compared with the experimental data over a broad pressure range from 1 to 100 MPa. The total average absolute deviations (AADs) of the calculated densities of 948 data points from the experimental data are 1.82% using the critical property and 0.96% using the surface tension and liquid density as scaling parameters. Furthermore, the proposed CEOS was successfully extended to mixtures including IL + IL and IL + solvent systems. 1282 literature data points for mixtures were taken to check the reliability of the mixture version of the proposed CEOS. The AAD of the calculated densities of the mixtures using the surface tension and liquid density as scaling parameter is 0.37%. Furthermore, the excess molar volumes (V^E) of the studied binary mixtures have been successfully computed by the use of the proposed CEOS.     

Ionic liquid as an efficient promoting medium for synthesis of dimethyl carbonate by oxidative carbonylation of methanol

The synthesis of dimethyl carbonate by oxidative carbonylation of methanol using Cu salt catalysts in the presence of various room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) was reported. Among the ionic liquids used, N-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate was the most effective promoter in terms of the conversion of methanol and the selectivity to dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The influences of reaction temperature, pressure, time, molar ratio of CO/O₂, and amount of the ionic liquid on the oxidative carbonylation of methanol were investigated. The results indicated that under the reaction conditions of 120 °C and 2.4 MPa of a 2:1 mixture of CO and O₂, 17.2% conversion of methanol, 97.8% selectivity of DMC and a DMC productivity of 4.6 g g⁻¹ cat h⁻¹ were achieved. The N-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate-meditated CuCl catalyst system could be reused at least five recycles with the same selectivity and a slight loss of catalytic activity due to loss of the catalyst during handling and transferring the reaction mixture.     

Investigations of novel nitrile-based ionic liquids as pre-treatment solvent for extraction of lignin from bamboo biomass

In this work, nitrile-based ionic liquids (ILs) i.e., 1-propyronitrile-3-butylimidazolium chloride [C2CNBim]Cl, 1-propyronitrile-3-allylimidazolium chloride [C2CNAim]Cl, 1-propyronitrile-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)imidazolium chloride [C2CN HEim]Cl and 1-propyronitrile-3-benzyllimidazolium chloride [C2CN Bzim]Cl were used as pre-treatment solvent for the extraction of lignin from bamboo biomass. The pre-treatment process was investigated with respect to several factors such as the types of ionic liquid cation used, the effect of pretreatment temperature and time, sample loading and particle size, the effect of recycling the ionic liquid on lignin extraction and the effect of multi-extraction to enhance the recovery of lignin which were collectively found to have an impact on the lignin extraction as a whole. The crystallinity of the cellulose-rich material obtained from the extraction was analyzed using XRD while the extracted lignin was characterized using FTIR, NMR, TGA and elemental analysis. From the XRD analysis, the crystallinity of the cellulose-rich material obtained after treatment with the synthesized nitrile-based ILs was found to remain the same. Among the nitrile-based ILs used, [C2CN Bzim]Cl demonstrate the best performance for the extraction process in a predetermined condition (T = 120 °C, t = 24 h) where 53% of the lignin from the bamboo was successfully extracted. This was confirmed from the FTIR and NMR analysis showing the characteristic peaks indicating the presence of lignin in the spectra of the respective samples tested.     

Dialkylimidazolium halide ionic liquids as dual function inhibitors for methane hydrate

Six dialkylimidazolium halide ionic liquids have been investigated for their potential application as novel gas hydrate inhibitors. Their effects on the equilibrium methane hydrate dissociation curve in a pressure range 105–205 bar and the induction time of methane hydrate formation at 114 bar and a high degree of supercooling, i.e., about 25 °C, are measured in a high-pressure micro-differential scanning calorimeter. Similar to dialkylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate investigated in our previous work, these ionic liquids are found to shift the equilibrium hydrate dissociation/stability curve to a lower temperature and, at the same time, retard the hydrate formation by slowing down the hydrate nucleation rate. To understand the performance of these ionic liquids in inhibiting the hydrate formation, the electrical conductivity and infrared spectra of ionic liquids are also obtained and analyzed.