A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBOXYLIC ACID ESTER BY MEANS OF A REACTIVE DISTILLATION

A METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBOXYLIC ACID ESTER (E) BY AN ESTERIFICATION IS CARRIED OUT BY MEANS OF A REACTIVE DISTILLATION IN A FIRST COLUMN (1). THE CARBOXYLIC ACID ESTER BOILS AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE THAN THE CARBOXYLIC ACID (S) AND ALCOHOL (A) REACTANTS. A SOLID MATERIAL CATALYST IS USED IN THE ESTERIFICATION. THE ESTERIFICATION AND A DISTILLATIVE SEPARATION TAKE PLACE IN THREE ZONES, NAMELY IN A REACTION ZONE (3), IN AN UPPER SEPARATING ZONE (8) AND ALSO A LOWER SEPARATING ZONE (4). A FIRST HEAD PRODUCT (61) AND A FIRST SUMP PRODUCT (52) ARE PRODUCED. AN AQUEOUS PHASE (63) IS SEPARATED FROM AN ORGANIC PHASE (62) FROM THE FIRST HEAD PRODUCT. HEAT (Q+) WHICH IS REQUIRED TO DRIVE THE REACTIVE DISTILLATION, IS SUPPLIED AT A TEMPERATURE FOR WHICH A PRESSURE NOT GREATER THAN THE AMBIENT PRESSURE IS SET IN THE EVAPORATED SUMP PRODUCT. THE CARBOXYLIC ACID ESTER IS OBTAINED FROM THE FIRST SUMP PRODUCT WITH THE REMOVAL OF A TRACE OF CARBOXYLIC ACID AND ALCOHOL. THE REMOVAL OF CARBOXYLIC ACID AND ALCOHOL FROM THE FIRST SUMP PRODUCT IS CARRIED OUT BY DISTILLATION IN A SECOND COLUMN (71). IN THIS ARRANGEMENT, HEAT IS SUPPLIED TO A SECOND SUMP PRODUCT (71), I.E. TO THE SUMP PRODUCT OF THE SECOND COLUMN, WHICH LARGELY COMPRISES CARBOXYLIC ACID ESTER AND SMALL QUANTITIES OF FURTHER MATERIALS, AT A TEMPERATURE FOR WHICH A PRESSURE GREATER THAN THE AMBIENT PRESSURE SETS IN THE VAPORISED SUMP PRODUCT.