96 MORE COMPLEX DISTILLATION SYSTEMS
Tyr ACETOONMETIADY
a
E
oa 7
LU Vaper Malefiae ACETOOY
Figure S$. Txy diagram for acetonelmethanol at 1 atm
azeotrope is 77.6 mol% acetone at atmospheric pressure, as shown inthe Txy diagram given,
in Figure 5.1
‘The components can be separated by using a two-colurmn extractive distillation system
and an extractive solvent that alters the phase equilibrium. The fresh feed of acetone and
methanol i fed into the first column near the middle. An appropriate solvent, which is less
Volatile than the two key components, is fed near the top of this extractive column,
Depending on the properties of the solvent, one of the key components is preferentially
absorbed in the solvent and leaves in the bottoms stream. The other component goes
‘overhead as a high-purity product. The bottoms stream is fed toa solvent recovery column
that removes the solvent from the bottom for recycling back tothe extractive column. The