Facile Synthesis of a Highly Effective Layered Double Hydroxide Catalyst and Its Application in the One-Step Ethoxylation of Butyl Acetate to Oligo-Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether Acetates

A novel synthetic route for the one-step ethoxylation of butyl acetate to form oligo-ethylene glycol butyl ether acetates is explored by adopting an effective acid–base bifunctional catalyst in a fixed-bed reactor. The highly efficient hydrotalcite-type catalysts used are prepared by employing co-precipitation methods. After treatment with arachidic acid, the as-obtained catalyst gives higher butyl acetate conversion and better ethylene oxide catalytic activity with a narrower adduct distribution of ethylene glycol butyl ether acetate in a fixed-bed reactor. After the reaction for 72 h, the conversion of butyl acetate was over 10% and the selectivities for both 1-ethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and 2-ethylene glycol butyl ether acetate arrived at more than 40%.