Phase Behaviors of Water + Acetic Acid + Methyl Acetate + p-Xylene Mix- ture at 101.32 kPa

In this study, the experimental results exhibit that the mixture of water + acetic acid + methyl acetate + pxylene has interesting phase behaviors of vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) and vapor-liquid-liquid equilibrium (VLLE) under pressure of 101.32 kPa. The VLE and VLLE data were obtained with a condensed-vapor-phase-recirculating still as described in the text. The experimental data are useful to the design and operation of the purification process of acetic acid. The experimental VLE and VLLE data were then correlated with the NRTL and the UNIQUAC activity coefficient models, respectively, as described in the text. Attributed to the presence of acetic acid, which is a strong polar component, the association effect of molecules of this component in the vapor phase was considered and handled with the approach of Hayden and O’Connell for correlation.