LAUSR

Abstract Extractive distillation is an effective method for separating azeotropic or close boiling point mixtures by adding a third component. Various technologies for performing the extractive distillation process have been explored to protect the environment and save resources. This paper focuses on the improvement of these advanced technologies in recent years. Extractive distillation is retrieved and analyzed from the view of phase equilibrium, selection of solvent in extractive distillation, process design, energy conservation, and dynamic control. The quantitative structure–property relationship used in extractive distillation is discussed, and the future development of extractive distillation is proposed to determine how the solvent affects the relative volatility of the separated mixture. In the steady state design, the relationship between the curvature of the residue curve and parameters of the optimal steady state is also highlighted as another field worthy of further study to simplify the distillation process.