Abstract
This work attempted to model the phase equilibrium involving 50 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with furfural and normal methyl pyrrolidone (NMP). Polar furfural and dipolar aprotic NMP were tested in this work as potential solvents for the abatement of selected VOCs through physical absorption. Five (5) VOC family groups were studied namely alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, aldehydes and carboxylic groups. The modified UNIFAC Dortmund and Lyngby were used in the phase equilibrium computation. NMP showed better absorption affinity for alkenes, alcohols and carboxylic acids compared to furfural. The solubility decreased with increase in size of the VOCs for both solvents.