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The hydrophobic nature of an extractant is particularly critical in the treatment of wastewater. Considering that dicationic ionic liquids (DILs) are likely to be more hydrophobic, a comparative study of the separation of phenol from waters using [NTf 2 ]– based monocationic ionic liquids (MILs) and DILs is carried out both from experimental and theoretical analysis perspectives. Experimental results revealed that DILs exhibited superior extraction ability compared to MILs, with extraction efficiencies of 93.7% and 97.4% using [BMIM][NTf 2 ] and [C 6 (MIM) 2 ][NTf 2 ] 2 as extractants, respectively. The microscopic examination through theoretical calculations elucidated the higher hydrophobicity and extraction efficiency of DILs over MILs. The results indicated that the DIL showed stronger hydrophobicity than the MIL because the hydrogen bond strength between the DIL and water was lower than that of the MIL. Although the hydrogen bond strength between the DIL and phenol was lower than that of the MIL, the stronger van der Waals forces existed between DIL and phenol, so DIL was more efficient in extracting phenol. In addition, the experimental parameters were optimized to provide basic data for application, such as mass ratio of ILs to water, extraction time and temperature, pH, and initial phenol content. Finally, the DILs were recovered using rotary evaporation apparatus, and the results demonstrated that DILs had good recovery and reuse performance. In brief, this work could provide an effective method for the treatment of phenol-containing wastewater. And the revelation of molecular mechanism is expected to positively impact the design of high-performance task-specific ILs. [Display omitted] • Hydrophobic DILs are proposed for the separation of phenols from aqueous solutions. • Stronger hydrophobicity of DILs than that of MIL is revealed from molecular insights. • Both high extraction ability and low solubility in water are achieved by DILs. • Analysis of interaction energies between the phenol and water with ILs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four kinds of dual-functionalized ionic liquids (DFILs, [Et 2 NEmim][Cl] 2 , [Et 2 NEmmor][Cl] 2 , [Et 2 NEmpyr][Cl] 2 and [Et 2 NEmpic][Cl] 2 ) were synthesized and used to efficiently separate phenolic compounds from model oils. The effects of stirring time, temperature, mole ratio of DFIL to phenol and initial phenol content on the separation were investigated. The results indicate that at a DFIL:phenol mole ratio of 0.3, the content of phenol in the oil phase can reach the minimum value and the extraction efficiency of phenol is more than 96%. The minimum phenol content in the oil phase and the best phenol extraction efficiency were 5.9 g/m 3 and 98.5%, respectively, when [Et 2 NEmpyr][Cl] 2 was used. Compared with traditional ionic liquids, these DFILs not only reduce the dosage of extraction agents but also greatly decrease the content of Cl − in the oil phase due to the double anion in the DFILs. The DFILs can be reused for 4 cycles without losses in phenol extraction efficiency and masses of the DFILs. The separation mechanism of extraction was studied using FT-IR. The result indicates that the two anions Cl − on DFILs can form a hydrogen bond with phenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of phenolic compounds from oil mixtures is widely used in the chemical industry. In this research, we found that two types of environmentally benign quaternary ammonium-based zwitterions, betaine and l -carnitine, could be used as new extractants for the separation of phenol from model oils by forming deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The effects of extraction time, temperature, mole ratio of zwitterion to phenol and initial phenol content on the efficiency of phenol separation were investigated. The results indicated that betaine and l -carnitine could form DESs with phenol, and the DESs were insoluble in model oils. Phenol in model oils could be extracted with extraction efficiencies up to 94.6% at an l -carnitine:phenol mole ratio of 0.4 (an l -carnitine:phenol mass ratio of 0.68) and 298.2 K. Phenol in DES could be recovered using an anti-solvent, and betaine and l -carnitine could be regenerated and reused for 4 cycles without obvious decreases in extraction efficiency and extractant mass, and they were not changed in their structures after reuse. The separation mechanism was investigated using FT-IR, which showed that betaine and l -carnitine formed DESs with phenol through hydrogen bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenols are important materials for the organic chemical industry. They mainly come from coal liquefaction oil, coal tar, petroleum and biomass pyrolysis oil, making the separation of phenols from oil mixtures of great commercial value. Two zwitterionic alkaloids, betaine and L-carnitine, biodegradable and environmentally benign ionic compounds, can efficiently separate phenols from oils by forming deep eutectic solvents (DESs). In this work, the phase equilibria of two ternary systems of toluene + phenol + betaine and toluene + phenol + L-carnitine were measured at 25.0 °C, 45.0 °C and 65.0 °C under atmospheric pressure. The phase behaviors of the two ternary systems were studied, which indicated that there were three kinds of phase regions: liquid, liquid-liquid, and liquid-liquid-solid. The separation of phenol from oil mixtures occurs at the latter two phase regions. Effects of temperature, zwitterionic alkaloid type and its dosage on the phase equilibrium were investigated. With decreasing temperature, the distribution and selectivity coefficients increase. L-carnitine shows better performance in separating phenol from oils via forming DES than betaine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The extraction performance of four green and low-cost ChCl-based DESs for phenol/toluene was investigated. • The effect of different glycols as HBDs on the separation was elucidated. • The intermolecular hydrogen bond interaction was analyzed by σ-profile based on COSMO-SAC model. • The extraction mechanism of DESs was revealed at molecular/atomic level. • Small molecular weight, short chain glycols as HBDs are more suitable for the separation process. Highly efficient separation of phenols from coal-to-liquids can enhance the economics of the coal conversion process. The selection of extractants with high extraction efficiency and low neutral oil entrainment is significant for energy development strategy. In this study, four ChCl-based DESs with different glycols as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs) were designed for the separation of phenol/toluene mixtures and the experimental results were analyzed by theoretical calculations. The experimental results showed that ChCl-EG had the highest extraction efficiency (94.02 %) and the least entrainment of toluene (0.449 g). Meanwhile, it could be regenerated and reused four times with no significant change in extraction capacity. The formation of hydrogen bonds between DESs and phenol was elucidated by σ-profile based on COSMO-SAC model. Multi-scale simulations and comparative analyses of the micro-mechanisms of the DESs system were carried out using quantum chemical (QC) and molecular dynamics (MD). It was shown that the attraction of DESs to phenol was mainly due to hydrogen bonds and vdW forces, with hydrogen bond interaction between Cl− in ChCl and H atom in phenol hydroxyl group being dominant. As the chain length of HBDs increased, the interaction of DESs with phenol was enhanced, while the entrainment of toluene also increased. Overall, the effect on the separation of phenol by different chain lengths of glycols as HBDs is elucidated. This study provides a theoretical reference for selecting and designing other DES extractants to separate phenol/toluene systems and similar systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Four DESs synthesised proved to be effective for phenol extraction. • The mechanism of DESs formation and separation was revealed at molecular/atomic scale. • The types and strengths of weak interactions of DESs with phenol and toluene were revealed. • Electrostatic and dispersion effects dominate the weak interaction energy. To gain more insight into the mechanism of the separation of phenols by deep eutectic solvents (DESs), four DESs: tetraethylammonium chloride (TEAC)-ethylene glycol (EG), TEAC-diethylene glycol (DEG), TEAC-triethylene glycol (TEG) and TEAC-tetraethylene glycol (TTEG) were prepared for the extraction of phenols from model oil. Experimental parameter optimization results indicated that four DESs were effective in extracting phenols, and TEAC-EG had the highest extraction efficiency (EE), with EE up to 98.95%. Subsequently, the formation mechanism of DESs and the extraction mechanism were revealed at the molecular/atomic level by quantum calculations using density functional theory (DFT). The most stable configurations, hydrogen bonding lengths, and interaction energies of DESs and corresponding systems have been calculated, and the weak interactions in the systems were visualized and further analyzed. The results showed that DESs formation were mainly due to a combined effect of hydrogen bonding and van der Waals (vdW) forces. Besides, hydrogen bonding and vdW forces between DESs and phenol were the main forces acting to extract phenol, and the hydrogen bonding within DESs was weakened when DESs interacted with phenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, dicationic ionic liquids (DILs), including N , N , N , N ′, N ′, N ′-hexaethyl-ethane-1,2-diammonium dibromide (HEDBr), N , N , N , N ′, N ′, N ′-hexaethyl-propane-1,3-diammonium dibromide (HPDBr) and N , N , N , N ′, N ′, N ′-hexaethyl-butane-1,4-diammonium dibromide (HBDBr), were designed and used to extract phenolic compounds from model oil and coal tar oil. The effects of stirring time, temperature, DIL:phenol mole ratio, and initial phenol concentration on the extraction of phenol were studied. It is found that the DIL:phenol mole ratio is only around 0.3 when the highest extraction efficiency of phenol is obtained. The extraction process completes within 5 min at room temperature, and the extraction efficiency is not dependent on temperature. Also, the ultimate phenol concentration remains constant despite the difference in initial phenol concentrations. Of these DILs, HPDBr shows the lowest ultimate phenol concentration of 3.9 g/dm 3 , and the extraction efficiency of phenol can reach as high as 97.0%. These DILs can be regenerated by anti-solvent method and reused several times without significant reduction in extraction efficiency. In addition, HPDBr was demonstrated to extract phenolic compounds from real coal tar oil, and its extraction efficiency of phenolic compounds is 92.7%. The mechanism, analyzed by FT-IR, shows that there is a hydrogen bond between phenol and DIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forming deep eutectic solvents (DESs) by quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) and phenolic compounds to extract phenolic compounds from oil mixtures is effective. However, a small amount of neutral oil is entrained in the DESs. In this work, we proposed an anti-extraction method to remove the neutral oil entrained in DESs. Low-carbon alkanes (LCAs, including n -hexane, cyclohexane, and n -nonane) were added to model DESs to remove neutral oil. We found that the LCAs could effectively remove neutral oil entrained in the DESs. Of the three LCAs, n -hexane showed the best performance, and the removal rate of neutral oil could reach as high as 92.2%. The separation process could complete within 15 min, and the removal rate of neutral oil did not change significantly with temperature. In addition, n -hexane could effectively remove neutral oils in DESs formed by real coal tar and choline chloride. The neutral oil content in the phenolic compound product decreased to only 1.9 wt%, which greatly improves the purity of the phenolic compound product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds (such as phenol, cresol sand xylenol), which are basic materials for the organic chemical industry, are mainly produced from coal liquefaction oil, coal tar, petroleum, and biomass pyrolysis oil. It has been reported that the separation of phenols from oil with forming deep eutectic solvents based on quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) is an efficient and environmentally friendly method. However, the phase equilibrium of QAS + phenol + oil mixtures has not been reported in the literature. In this work, the phase equilibrium for separating phenol from model oil with 2-hydroxy- N , N , N -trimethyl-ethanaminium chloride (ChCl), N , N , N -triethyl-ethanaminium chloride (TEAC), and N , N , N -trimethyl- methanaminium chloride (TMAC) was studied. Phase equilibria of three ternary systems of toluene + phenol + QAS were measured at 25.0, 40.0 and 65.0 °C, and phase behaviors of the ternary systems were studied. Effects of temperature, type and dosage of QAS on the equilibrium were investigated. The results show that low temperatures are beneficial to extraction of phenol and the phenol removal efficiency decreases with increasing temperature. Among the QASs, TEAC has the strongest ability to separate phenol, but the concentration of toluene entrained in the DES phase is the largest. Only TMAC is dissolved in the oil phase to a small extant, which can cause the loss of extractant. ChCl not only has high phenol removal efficiency, but also causes a small concentration of toluene entrained in the DES phase, which shows that ChCl is an efficient and environmentally friendly extractant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]