Liquid–Liquid Phase Equilibria of Systems of Palm and Soya Biodiesels: Experimental and Modeling

Abstract

Liquid–liquid phase equilibria of two systems of concern in the biodiesel production process are determined experimentally. The first system is the binary mixture of water + biodiesel within a temperature range of 297.2 to 333.2 K, in order to determine water solubilities in two biodiesels prepared from palm and soya oil. The experimental results showed that water solubilities were limited to values below 0.05 mol % and that the solubility increased with increasing temperature and biodiesel unsaturation. Next, the phase diagrams of ternary mixtures of glycerol + methanol + mentioned biodiesels were determined at three temperatures (293.2, 303.2, and 313.2 K). The reliability of the experimental data of tie lines was ascertained using the Othmer-Tobias relation. The UNIQUAC model was then used to model both the binary and ternary experimental data. Results showed the suitability of this model in correlating the phase behavior of such systems.