Liquid–liquid equilibrium and interfacial tension of the ternary system heptane + thiophene + 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide

The liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) of the ternary system comprising heptane, thiophene and the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C2mim][NTf2]) was determined at 25 °C and atmospheric pressure, for preliminary evaluation of the potential of this ionic liquid as solvent for the desulfurisation of transportation fuels. Classical parameters such as solute distribution ratio and selectivity were calculated from the LLE data and subsequently analysed. The LLE data were also correlated by means of the ‘Non-Random Two-Liquid’ (NRTL) equation. Besides the LLE, another critical property for the design of extraction processes, namely the interfacial tension, was determined in parallel, throughout the immiscibility domain of the ternary system. For the first time, the LLE and the interfacial tension of a ternary system involving an ionic liquid are jointly reported.