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Separation of benzene and cyclohexane is one of the most important and difficult processes in the petrochemical industry, especially for low benzene concentration. In this work, three ionic liquids (ILs), [Bmim][BF4], [Bpy][BF4], and [Bmim][SCN], were investigated as the solvent in the extraction of benzene from cyclohexane. The corresponding ternary liquid–liquid equilibria (LLE) were experimentally determined at T = 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure. The LLE data were correlated with the nonrandom two-liquid model, and the parameters were fitted. The separation capabilities of the ILs were evaluated in terms of the benzene distribution coefficient and solvent selectivity. The effect of the IL structure on the separation was explained based on a well-founded physical model, COSMO-RS. Finally, the extraction processes were defined, and the operation parameters were analyzed. It shows that the ILs studied are suitable solvents for the extractive separation of benzene and cyclohexane, and their separation efficiency can be generally ranked as [Bmim][BF4] > [Bpy][BF4] > [Bmim][SCN]. The extraction process for a feed with 15 mol % benzene was optimized. High product purity (cyclohexane 0.997) and high recovery efficiency (cyclohexane 96.9% and benzene 98.1%) can be reached.

To properly screen and use ionic liquids (ILs) as environmental-friendly solvents in chemical reactors and separation processes, the knowledge of their solubilities with water is essential. In the present work, mutual solubilities of 1500 ILs (50 cations, 30 anions) with water at 298.15 K were predicted by using the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) as a thermodynamic model. On the basis of the COSMO-RS calculations, the influence of the types of anion and cation, side chain modifications and substituent groups on the mutual solubility with water was extensively analyzed. The data obtained can be used for the prescreening of ILs as solvent candidates. Moreover, to understand the intrinsic solubility behavior in detail, different types of molecular interactions between ILs and water in solution were compared on the basis of the determination of multiple water–IL interaction energies from COSMO-RS computation. The results confirm that hydrogen bonding interactions between anions and water molecules have the dominant influence on the solubility. Finally, for the purpose of fast solubility estimation and solvent selection, COSMO-RS derived molecular descriptors which indicate the strength of anionic HB acceptors were calculated for typical anions and anion families.

In the catalytic hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexane, the separation of unreacted benzene from the product stream is inevitable and essential for an economically viable process. In order to evaluate the separation efficiency of ionic liquids (ILs) as a solvent in this extraction processes, the ternary (liquid + liquid) equilibrium of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, [Cnmim][PF6] (n = 4, 5, 6), with benzene and cyclohexane was studied at T = 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure. The reliability of the experimentally determined tie-line data was confirmed by applying the Othmer–Tobias equation. The solute distribution coefficient and solvent selectivity for the systems studied were calculated and compared with literature data for other ILs and sulfolane. It turns out that the benzene distribution coefficient increases and solvent selectivity decreases as the length of the cation alkyl chain grows, and the ionic liquids [Cnmim][PF6] proved to be promising solvents for benzene–cyclohexane extractive separation. Finally, an NRTL model was applied to correlate and fit the experimental LLE data for the ternary systems studied.

Ionic liquid (IL) 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was found to effectively intensify cyclohexanol oxidation and resulted in 100% conversion of cyclohexanol with 100% selectivity to cyclohexanone using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant and WO3 as a catalyst. The effect of the IL as a solvent is discussed with the support of COSMO-RS theory.