Department of Chemical Engineering, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusaku, Nagoya, Japan
Akio Watanbe is professor of Chemical Engineering Department at Nagoya University,Furocho, Chikusaku, Nagoya, Japan. He has done many wonderful research works one of which is "Phase Equilibrium Measurement of n-Butane/Water/n-Butanol System for Development of an Energy-Saving Biobutanol Extraction Process"
Research Article
Phase Equilibrium Measurement of n-Butane/Water/n-Butanol System for Development of an Energy-Saving Biobutanol Extraction Process
Author(s): Hiroshi Machida*, Akio Watanabe and Hirotoshi Horizoe
The application of biobutanol as an alternative fuel has numerous advantages compared to bioethanol, such as high heating value, low moisture absorption, and low corrosion, although biobutanol requires a high dehydration energy because of its low initial concentration (approximately 1-3 wt%). To develop energy-saving dehydration process using light hydrocarbon extraction, butane solvent was selected as a suitable solvent because of their properties like no azeotropic point or high butanol solubility. Phase equilibrium data of an n-butane/water/n-butanol system were determined using apparatus for high-pressure phase equilibrium measurements and NRTL model parameters were regressed. The proposed process for butanol dehydration consist the extraction column and distillation column. In the extraction column, butanol is concentrated to 90%, after which butane and butanol are separated in t.. View more»