Kinetics of Methyl Formate Hydrolysis in the Absence and Presence of a Complexing Agent

The industrial processes involved in the production of formic acid were reviewed with emphasis on the hydrolysis of methyl formate. The liquid-phase hydrolysis of methyl formate in the absence and presence of an additive (a complexing agent) was studied in a laboratory-scale batch reactor. The effects of the reaction parameters such as stirring rate, excess water, the additive, and temperature were investigated too. A kinetic model that includes the mass balances and rate equations was developed for the system by assuming a quasi-equilibrium hypothesis for the reaction involving the additive. The proposed model with a degree of explanation exceeding 95% was able to predict the experimental concentrations of methyl formate, methanol, the additive, and the additive−formic acid complex.