1,4-Pentanediol: Vapor Pressure, Density, Viscosity, Refractive Index, and Its Isobaric Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium with 2-Methyltetrahydrofurane

Abstract

1,4-Pentanediol (1,4-PDO) can be utilized as a renewable building block for the polymer industry. 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) can be utilized as a renewable fuel additive, a component of P-fuel, and an alternative solvent for synthesis and catalysis. Both 1,4-PDO and 2-MeTHF can be synthesized from either levulinic acid or γ-valerolactone, resulting in their mixture. In this sense, the corresponding vapor-liquid equilibrium data of these compounds is important to model and design related separation processes such as vacuum distillation. First, the temperature-dependent vapor pressure of 1,4-PDO was determined in the range of 413.1-496.5 K and correlated by three-parameter Antoine and Clark-Glew equations. The temperature-dependent viscosity and density as well as refractive index were measured in the temperature ranges of 293.1-363.1 and 291.1-333.1 K, respectively. The isobaric vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of 1,4-PDO and 2-MeTHF was determined at atmospheric (p = 101.3 kPa) and reduced (p = 50.7 kPa) pressures. The experimental data were evaluated by the L-W thermodynamic consistency test developed by Wisniak and correlated with Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC activity coefficient models, which were analyzed by the Van Ness test. The applied models were found suitable for representing the VLE data.