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Applications of Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents in Separation Processes for the Circular Economy

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Andrea Melchior

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Guest Editor

Chemical Technologies Laboratories, Dipartimento Politecnico di Ingegneria & Architettura, University of Udine, I-33100 Udine, Italy
Interests: thermodynamics of complex formation; metal ions adsorption; metal ions in ionic liquids; molecular dynamics simulations; lanthanide complexes for luminescent sensing
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last two decades, ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DES) have been the subject of intense research due to the numerous industrial and technological applications which can benefit from their peculiar physical and chemical properties. In particular, the application of ionic liquids for separations and extractions has been one of the most studied, as they are considered “green” alternatives to conventional volatile organic solvents. In addition, as their physical–chemical properties can be finely tuned by altering their chemical structure, it is possible to systematically optimize the efficiency and selectivity of the separation process. More recently, DES emerged as an alternative to both organic solvents and ILs as they have some of the useful properties of the latter, but at the same time, they have lower toxicity, higher bio-degradability and lower production costs.

The Processes Special Issue on “Applications of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents in separation processes for the circular economy” will collect high-quality works on the latest advances in the application of such solvents in chemical separations. This Special Issue will include both applied and fundamental studies on the application of ILs and DES in separations aimed at achieving sustainable use of natural resources and circular re-use of materials from end-of-life devices to industrial and agricultural byproducts. The topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

Basic studies on thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of separations using DES and ILs;
Critical raw-material recycling by selective extraction and separation from secondary sources;
Recovery of added-value compounds from biomass;
Computational modelling studies of ILs and DES, dissolution, transport and separation processes;
Applications in industrial contexts and process design;
Engineering aspects of separation processes employing ILs and DES.

It is my great pleasure to invite you to contribute a manuscript to this Special Issue; we will accept full papers, communications or reviews.

Dr. Andrea Melchior
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

separations
extractions
metals
critical raw materials
biomass
thermodynamics
kinetics
chemical engineering
ionic liquids
deep eutectic solvents
circular economy

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 5584 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Point Source Capture of Methane Using Ionic Liquids in Packed Bed Absorbers/Strippers: Experimental and Modelling

by Hamid Reza Rahimpour, Jafar Zanganeh and Behdad Moghtaderi

Processes 2024, 12(3), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12030596 - 16 Mar 2024

Viewed by 509

Abstract

Fugitive methane emissions from the mining industry, particularly so-called ventilation air methane (VAM) emissions, are considered among the largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. VAM emissions not only contribute to the global warming but also pose a significant hazard to mining safety due to the risk of accidental fires and explosions. This research presents a novel approach that investigates the capture of CH₄ in a controlled environment using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide [BMIM][TF₂N] ionic liquid (IL), which is an environmentally friendly solvent. The experimental and modelling results confirm that CH₄ absorption in [BMIM][TF2N], in a packed column, can be a promising technique for capturing CH₄ from point sources, particularly the outlet streams of ventilation shafts in underground coal mines, which typically accounts for <1% v/v of the flow. This study assessed the effectiveness of CH₄ removal in a packed bed column by testing various factors such as absorption temperature, liquid and gas flow rates, flow pattern, packing size, desorption temperature, and desorption pressure. According to the optimisation results, the following parameters can be used to achieve a CH₄ removal efficiency of 23.8%: a gas flow rate of 0.1 L/min, a liquid flow rate of 0.5 L/min, a packing diameter of 6 mm, and absorption and desorption temperatures of 303 K and 403.15 K, respectively. Additionally, the experimental results indicated that ILs could concentrate CH₄ in the simulated VAM stream by approximately 4 fold. It is important to note that the efficiency of CH₄ removal was determined to be 3.5-fold higher compared to that of N₂. Consequently, even though the VAM stream primarily contains N₂, the IL used in the same stream shows a notably superior capacity for removing CH₄ compared to N₂. Furthermore, CH₄ absorption with [BMIM][TF₂N] is based on physical interactions, leading to reduced energy requirements for regeneration. These findings validate the method’s effectiveness in mitigating CH₄ emissions within the mining sector and enabling the concentration of VAM through a secure and energy-efficient procedure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents in Separation Processes for the Circular Economy)

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Review

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32 pages, 3616 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceReview

Abatement of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) Using Ionic Liquids: A Review of Experimental Methods and Modelling Approaches

by Hamid Reza Rahimpour, Jafar Zanganeh and Behdad Moghtaderi

Processes 2023, 11(5), 1496; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11051496 - 15 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1348

Abstract

Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) refers to the release of fugitive methane (CH₄) emissions into the atmosphere during underground coal mining operations. Growing concerns regarding the greenhouse effects of CH₄ have led to a worldwide effort in developing efficient and cost-effective methods of capturing CH₄. Among these, absorption-based processes, particularly those using Ionic Liquids (ILs) are appealing due to their advantages over conventional methods. In this study, the solubility of CH₄ in various ILs, expressed by Henry’s law constant, is first reviewed by examining a wide range of experimental techniques. This is followed by a review of thermodynamic modelling tools such as the extended Henry’s law model, extended Pitzer’s model, Peng–Robinson (PR) equation of state, and Krichevsky−Kasarnovsky (KK) equation of state as well as computational (Artificial Neural Network) modelling approaches. The comprehensive analysis presented in this paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the factors that significantly influence the process of interest. Furthermore, the study provides a critical examination of recent advancements and innovations in CH₄ capture by ILs. ILs, in general, have a higher selectivity for methane compared to conventional solvents. This means that ILs can remove methane more effectively from VAM, resulting in a higher purity of the recovered methane. Overall, ILs offer several advantages over conventional solvents for the after treatment of VAM. They are more selective, less volatile, have a wider temperature range, are chemically stable, and can be made from renewable materials. As a result of their many advantages, ILs are becoming increasingly popular for the after treatment of VAM. They offer a more sustainable, efficient, and safe alternative to conventional solvents, and they are likely to continue gaining market share in the coming years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents in Separation Processes for the Circular Economy)

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