Constructing residue curve maps for butyl acetate synthesis

This work presents a laboratory study of liquid phase N-butylacetate synthesis (Patm = 560 mmHg), employing simultaneous distillation and reaction (batch reactive distillation) and an ion exchange resin (Lewatit K-2431) as catalyst. The conditions in which the operation was limited by reaction equilibrium (equilibrium regime) and not by kinetics effects (kinetic regime) was determined by constructing experimental residue curves using different catalyst loads. The feasibility of implementing esterification through a simultaneous reaction-separation arrangement was established. Pure butylacetate could be obtained in such process as a bottom product from a reactive distillation column, overcoming the reaction system’s conversion limitations.