Process intensification on the separation of benzene and thiophene by extractive distillation

The separation of benzene and trace thiophene by extractive distillation was intensified in two aspects, that is, selection of a suitable entrainer and improvement of the process. The mixture of dimethylformamide (DMF) and an ionic liquid (IL) was chosen as the entrainer. Vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) experiments using pure DMF and a mixed entrainer were conducted, and UNIFAC model for ILs was extended to the benzene‐thiophene‐DMF‐IL system. The results demonstrated that volatilization loss of DMF in the vapor phase was significantly reduced by adding IL. Moreover, an improved process with only four columns using a mixed entrainer was proposed. The results indicated that the improved process is more promising for decreasing energy consumption and equipment investment compared with the conventional six‐column process. The total heat duties of reboilers and condensers was decreased by 6.47% and 6.41%, respectively. The process intensification strategy may be directly extended to separate trace components of other systems. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 4470–4480, 2015