Separation process and mechanism of cyclohexane/ethanol system using deep eutectic solvents based on betaine and choline chloride

The efficient separation of azeotropes is of great significance for the effective recovery and utilization of chemical raw materials and environmental protection. This study investigated the separation efficiency and mechanism of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with different combinations and ratios of hydrogen bond acceptors (HBA) and hydrogen bond donors (HBD) for cyclohexane/ethanol azeotropic systems. Through vapor-liquid phase equilibrium experiments, the effects of different DESs and different HBD: HBA molar ratios as solvents on the phase behavior of cyclohexane/ethanol azeotropic system were studied, and different combinations and molar ratios of DESs with the best separation performance were obtained. The effective separation of azeotropes by DESs is primarily due to the stronger molecular surface electrostatic potential of ethanol compared to that of cyclohexane, which results in a stronger interaction between the DESs and ethanol. Finally, through process simulations, a cyclohexane/ethanol extractive distillation separation process using a DES as the main solvent was established. The results showed that the separation effect of DESs increased with the increase of the interaction force between DESs and ethanol, achieving efficient recovery of chemical raw materials. This study established a safe and efficient separation process using DESs, which is of great significance for environmental protection and the development of safety processes.