Interfacial Mass Transfer in Quaternary Liquid-Liquid Systems

Interfacial properties such as interfacial mass transfer are essential for the design and optimization of industrial separation processes. In this work we investigate the interfacial behavior of the two quaternary systems water + toluene + ethanol + acetone and water + toluene + ethanol + tetrahydrofuran and the relation between interfacial enrichment and mass transfer. The Concentration Gradient Theory (CGT) is combined with the Koningsveld-Kleintjens (KK) model to calculate interfacial tension and interfacial concentration profiles. By expanding a recent study of ternary systems with ethanol, acetone or tetrahydrofuran as transferring components we demonstrate that interfacial mass transfer in quaternary systems can be modeled with CGT + KK in good accordance to experimental data by adjusting a single additional binary mobility coefficient. Moreover, the present study indicates a hint on a link between interfacial enrichment and interfacial mass transfer.