Process of separating acetonitrile and water using LTTMs as entrainer

New extractive distillation configurations, which use low transition temperature mixtures (LTTMs) as entrainers, have attracted widespread attention among scholars due to their green processes. Furthermore, the design and comparison of different processes can promote the application of new solvents in the future. In this study, two extractive distillation processes, the extractive distillation column (ED) and the extraction dividing wall column (EDW), were selected from previous work. The separation process of acetonitrile (ACN)-water ternary mixtures was studied, and GC3:1(choline chloride/glycolic acid mixture (molar mass 1:3)) and EC2:1((choline chloride/ethylene glycol 1:2 molar mass) were used as entrainers. Minimum consumption energy and the purity of ACN and water were set as the goals, and our sensitivity analysis and economic evaluation results showed that both ED and EDW were effective. As a result, LTTMs can be used in extractive distillation for azeotrope separation.