Batch distillations of mixtures containing water and acetic acid: Experiment and theory

In the present chapter, we study the industrially relevant system containing acetic acid and water. Indeed, vapor-liquid equilibrium data for this mixture are correctly predicted and compared to their counterpart obtained from the relevant literature as well as from the ubiquitous commercial process simulator: Aspen-HYSYS. In addition, we carry out a simple batch distillation experiment of this binary mixture using a very elementary experimental set-up and compare the obtained experimental results with theoretical predictions. In particular, we investigate the effect, on our numerical predictions, of neglecting either one accumulation term in the energy balance or the energy balance all together. Finally, we consider the batch rectification of an acetic acid - water - ethyl acetate ternary mixture. For this latter case, only theoretical calculation are made. It is found that ethyl acetate is an excellent entrainer for the separation of the acetic acid - water mixture. Throughout the chapter and in particular in the conclusion, we share our thought about the pedagogical value of both the experiment and the theoretical calculations we have conducted.