Viscosity and Density Measurement and Modeling in Methyl Levulinate and 1-Alkanol Mixtures

This study presents an investigation into the density and viscosity measurements of binary fluids composed of methyl levulinate (ML) and primary aliphatic alcohols (ranging from 1-butanol to 1-heptanol) across 293.15 K to 323.15 K. Using measurement techniques, the excess molar volumes and viscosity deviations were systematically analyzed, revealing that steric effects from the alcohol chains dominate over hydrogen-bonding interactions in these systems. The results demonstrate that longer alkyl chains significantly weaken intermolecular interactions, leading to increasingly negative viscosity deviations. To advance the state of the art in thermodynamic measurement and modeling, the PC-SAFT model was employed to predict mixture densities, achieving a high correlation to experimental density. The maximum deviation observed for the methyl levulinate + 1-pentanol system was only 0.94 %, underscoring the model’s reliability and practical utility for optimizing measurement-based applications. This work not only provides critical insights into the role of steric effects in complex liquid systems but also contributes to the development of measurement methodologies for thermophysical property analysis.