Semibatch Reactive Distillation for Isopropyl Acetate Synthesis

Batch reactive distillation, which combines the flexibility of batch process with the advantages of reactive distillation, can be an effective alternative to conventional batch processing. For instance, acetate esters such as n -butyl acetate and amyl acetate can be produced using batch reactive distillation. Previous studies have shown that isopropyl acetate can also be produced in batch reactive distillation with the addition of chloroform as an entrainer and using a large reflux ratio and number of stages. This paper compares the vapor−liquid and liquid−liquid features of these acetate ester systems, and shows the similarities and differences among them. We show why the isopropyl system is more difficult than the others and how semibatch reactive distillation without an additional entrainer can result in a feasible and more efficient process for the production of isopropyl acetate than has been previously known. In a semibatch reactive distillation, the loss of isopropyl alcohol can be substantially decreased, the purity of water byproduct can be improved, and the total reflux or recycle of the organic distillate phase can be avoided. The semibatch reactive distillation can provide 20% higher production efficiency than batch reactive distillation.