Performance and mechanism of the separation of C8 α‐olefin from F‐T synthesis products using novel Ag‐DES

As an attractive alternative technology for the separation of long chain olefin and paraffin, a novel silver‐based deep eutectic solvent (Ag‐DES) was prepared and utilized for 1‐octene/n‐octane separations. Comprehensive reactive extraction separation experiments were performed to highlight the Ag‐DES concentration and operating temperature discriminations using compounds with different ratio of 1‐octene/n‐octane. The novel Ag‐DES showed optimal separation performance regarding 1‐octene/n‐octane and possessed the highest levels separation selectivity in the range 3.57–16.11 with excellent circulation stability in our best knowledge. Furthermore, FT‐Raman measurements and quantum chemistry calculation were performed to elucidate the interaction mechanism of Ag‐DES in the separation of 1‐octene and n‐octane, which revealed that both chemical complexation and strong physical attraction existed in the complex of Ag‐DES and 1‐octene rather than n‐octane. A practical process was proposed for the separation of olefin and paraffin, which indicates that an advanced separation technology could largely reduce the energy consumption. This study lends important insight for the development of Ag‐DES reactive extraction separation process for the energy‐efficient long chain α‐olefins purification from F‐T synthesis products.