HIGH-PRESSURE PHASE EQUILIBRIA IN TERNARY FLUID MIXTURES WITH A SUPERCRITICAL COMPONENT.

Experimental results are presented for high pressure phase equilibria in the binary systems carbon dioxide - acetone and carbon dioxide - ethanol and the ternary system carbon dioxide - acetone - water at 313 and 333 K and pressures between 20 and 150 bar. A high pressure optical cell with external recirculation and sampling of all phases was used for the experimental measurements. The ternary system exhibits an extensive three-phase equilibrium region with an upper and lower critical solution pressure at both temperatures. A modified cubic equation of a state with a non-quadratic mixing rule was successfully used to model the experimental data. The phase equilibrium behavior of the system is favorable for extraction of acetone from dilute aqueous solutions using supercritical carbon dioxide.