In this work, experimental liquid-liquid equilibrium data for the ternary system water + acrylic acid + 4-methyl-2-pentanone were determined at 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure. The experimental data were also compared with the values correlated by the NRTL and UNIQUAC models. Good quantitative agreement was obtained with these models. In general, the average deviations from the NRTL model are slightly greater than those from the UNIQUAC model. The reliability of the experimental tie-line data was confirmed by using the Othmer-Tobias correlation. Distribution coefficients and selectivity were evaluated for the immiscibility region. © 2008 American Chemical Society.533659662Danner, H., Urmos, M., Gartner, M., Braun, R., Biotechnological production of acrylic acid from biomass (1998) Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol, 70, pp. 887-894Varadarajan, S., Miller, D.J., Catalytic upgrading of fermentation-derived organic acids (1999) Biotechnol. Prog, 15, pp. 845-854Jansens, P.J., (1994) Fractional Melt Crystallization of Organic Compounds, , Ph.D. Thesis, Technical University Delft, The NetherlandsKirk, R.E., Othmer, D.F., (1992) Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, , 4th ed, Wiley-Interscience: New YorkArce, A., Blanco, A., Souza, P., Vidal, I., Liquid-liquid equilibria of the ternary mixtures water + propanoic acid + methyl ethyl ketone and water + propanoic acid + methyl propyl ketone (1995) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 40, pp. 225-229Dramur, U., Tatli, B., Liquid-liquid equilibria of water + acetic acid + phthalic esters (dimethyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate) ternaries (1993) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 38, pp. 23-25Kirbasülar, S.I., Süahin, S., Bilgin, M., Liquid-liquid equilibria of (water + acetic acid + diethyl succinate or diethyl glutarate or diethyl adipate) ternary systems (2007) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 52, pp. 1108-1112Wang, L., Cheng, Y., Xiao, X., Li, X., Liquid-liquid equilibria for the ternary systems acetic acid + water + butyl acetate and acetic acid + water + 2-methyl propyl acetate at 304.15 K, 332.15K, and 366.15 K (2007) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 52, pp. 1255-1257Xiao, X., Wang, L., Ding, G., Xi, L., Liquid-liquid equilibria for the ternary system water + acetic acid + propyl acetate (2006) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 51, pp. 582-583Malmary, G., Faizal, M., Albet, J., Molinier, J., Liquid-liquid equilibria of acetic, formic, and oxalic acids between water and tributyl phosphate + dodecane (1997) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 42, pp. 985-987Frere, F.J., Ternary system diisopropyl ether-isopropyl alcohol-water at 25°C (1949) Ind. Eng. Chem, 41, pp. 2365-2367Colombo, A., Battilana, P., Ragaini, V., Bianchi, C.L., Carvoli, G., Liquid-liquid equilibria of the ternary systems water + acetic acid + ethyl acetate and water + acetic acid + isophorone (3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1- one) (1999) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 44, pp. 35-39Aljimaz, A.S., Fandary, M.S.H., Alkandary, J.A., Fahim, M.A., Liquid-liquid equilibria of the ternary system water + acetic acid + 1-heptanol (2000) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 45, pp. 301-303Ashour, I.Abu-Eishah, S. I. Liquid-liquid equilibria for cyclohexane + ethylbenzene + sulfolane at (303.15, 313.15, and 323.15) K. J. Chem. Eng. Data 2006, 51, 859-863Atik, Z., Chaou, M., Solubilities and phase equilibria for ternary solutions of r,r,r-trifluorotoluene, water, and 2-propanol at three temperatures and pressure of 101.2 kPa (2007) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 52, pp. 932-935Lin, W.C., Yang, C.H., Pan, T.C., Tsao, C.W., Liquid-liquid equilibria of alkane (C10-C14) + hexylbenzene + sulfolane (2007) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 52, pp. 1060-1064Resa, J.M., Goenaga, J.M., Iglesias, M., Gonzalez-Olmos, R., Pozuelo, D., Liquid-liquid equilibrium diagrams of ethanol + water +(ethyl acetate or 1-pentanol) at several temperatures (2006) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 51, pp. 1300-1305Alvarez, M.E.T., Moraes, E.B., Machado, A.B., Maciel Filho, R., Wolf-Maciel, M.R., Evaluation of liquid-liquid extraction process for separating acrylic acid produced from renewable sugars (2007) Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol, 136, pp. 451-461Fish, L.W., Errico, J.E., Jim Lim, C., Cavers, S.D., Liquid-liquid equilibrium of system acetic acid - water - 4-methyl-2-pentanone (1974) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 19, pp. 154-156Govindarajan, M., Sabarathinam, P., Effect of some inorganic salts on the ternary liquid-liquid equilibria of the water + 4-methyl-2-pentanone + propanoic or butanoic acid at 35°C (1997) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 42, pp. 402-408Solimo, H.N., Gramajo de Doz, M.B., Influence of temperature on the liquid-to-liquid extraction of 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone from aqueous solutions with benzyl alcohol (1995) Fluid Phase Equilib, 107, pp. 213-227Ferreira, L., Lopes, E., Solvent extraction of picric acid from aqueous solutions (1996) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 41, pp. 698-700Renon, H., Prausnitz, J.M., Local compositions in thermodynamic excess functions for liquid mixtures (1968) AIChE J, 14, pp. 135-144Abrams, D.S., Prausnitz, J.M., Statistical thermodynamics of liquid mixtures: A new expression for the excess Gibbs energy of partly or completely miscible systems (1975) AIChE J, 21, pp. 116-128Fredenslund, A.A., Gmehling, J., Rasmussen, P., (1977) Vapor-Liquid Equilibria Using UNIFAC: A Group-Contribution Method, , Elsevier: AmsterdamSantiago, R.S., Aznar, M., Liquid-liquid equilibria for quaternary mixtures of nonane + undecane + (benzene or toluene or m-xylene) + sulfolane at 298.15 and 313.15K (2007) Fluid Phase Equilib, 253, pp. 137-141Çehreli, S., Liquid-liquid equilibria of the acetic acid-water-mixed solvent (cyclohexyl acetate-cyclohexanol) system (2002) Braz. J. Chem. Eng, 19, pp. 45-54Othmer, D.F., Tobias, P.E., Tie line correlation (1942) Ind. Eng. Chem, 34, pp. 693-696Brandani, V., Ross, M., Ternary liquid-liquid equilibrium data for the water-ethanol-benzene system (1985) J. Chem. Eng. Data, 30, pp. 27-29Engineering Suite Aspen Plus.Version 2004.1, Aspen Technology Inc, 2004