Separation of Toluene-Xylene-Water-Methanol

Sounds suspiciously like a group problem similar to one we had in senior year ChE Plant Engineering class.

If you are at that stage, you should know that improving the yield will reduce the amount of separation. You may also be able to eliminate one of the products by making one of the reactants the limiting reagent (from basic organic chemistry).

Think of other ways to separate besides distillation.

Mike

There was a similar thread a while ago about removing water from alcohol solutions. (Or was it biofuel?)

From memory, the "winning" ideas involved "freezing" to remove concentrated water (not my favourite), or else addition of "plaster" dust to combine with the water and enable that to be easily extracted.

For such a large volume, it would probably be worthwhile to have an associated pprocess to de-hydrate the recovered plaster for re-use. (Just heat it to drive off the water, crush it and then it's ready to be used over and over again.)

Maybe by removing the water, the equilibrium will continue to move towards the Xylene output.

Anyhow, the "plaster" process should be able to remove the water for you as the other materials don't react with it.

Hi Paddler,

Thank you for not blurting out the answer. I thought the same thing. I remember in my senior year, we had to put together a BTX plant and cost it as a group project. My group of 4 was up many late hours and a couple of all-nighters. It was a good experience for learning to work together and work against a deadline to complete a task. It was a great practical exercise.

Anyway, GA!

Mike

In my experience w/ similar projects for school. It is OK to ask general questions but not specific to the project. Whether it is their fault or not, professors will not penalize you for a topic not sticking.

For example a general question to ask would be, how do you break an azeotrope???

There are a few techniques used to break an azeotrope. The most common way is to add an entrainer. The entrainer is a chemical which forms a lower temperature azeotrope with one of the components needing separation. From here, a simple distillation will remove the entrainer along w/ the component out the overhead.

The bottoms can then be separated further to remove residual entrainer from the least volatile component.

I said nothing of specifics because if you asked the right question, I have no idea what your system is. If this has helped, it is your duty to tailor this info to your system.

-David

Hi.

First of all, thanks for your kind reply to my thread.

Although I didn't get what I expect, at least I know how people think of undergraduate student asking question like this. Maybe during your time, you didn't ask your lecturers regarding this. Maybe because you're godly brilliant and knows everything.

IS IT WRONG ASKING QUESTION LIKE THIS?

LOLed to the pro engineers. Good luck in your real life. Hopefully someday god takes back what he has given to you and hopefully you will ask things like this in some point of your life.

zzz

Please don't get us wrong. I am sure I speak for others on this forum.

I applaud your resourcefulness to ask experienced engineers and technicians for their advice and help.

I also have empathy for your situation and the greatest respect for students and anyone trying to become an engineer or educate themselves in a technical field.

Although it has been a long time, I remember working very hard, and finding it very difficult to complete my studies. Please remain a member and continue to participate. The response I gave was sincere and I do hope your group succeeds.

If your professors are doing their job, the point is not how to design this plant but how to think, solve problems, work as a group, brainstorm and compromise for the best solution (in a very complex and technical arena).

If you read some of the posts, especially the challenge questions and discussions you can feel the passion and excitement many members have for the process.

Lots of people have the brains, cultivate the passion.

Catch it and be one of us!

Paddler

1st you have to identify the boiling points of these componets. Once u get that, by fractional distillations u can separate each components which can be the by producgts with resale vaue.

We want to put up a manufacturing unit for 100 Tons per day XYLENE for paints in Riydh Saudi Arabia on turn key basis, complete design, supply and installation of plant and equipments, testing and commissioning. Also should train our crew for operation and maintenance, could you undertake this project? or suggest some one who has experience in this line? U cam contact me over my e mail : <email removed>

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