Ethers from Ethanol. 1. Equilibrium Thermodynamic Analysis of the Liquid-Phase Ethyl tert-Butyl Ether Reaction (ETBE)

The equilibrium-limited liquid-phase synthesis of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) from the combination of ethanol and isobutylene over an ion-exchange resin catalyst, typically Amberlyst 15, is a reaction of considerable industrial importance now. An equilibrium constant relationship is developed here for the liquid-phase ETBE reaction by following three alternative thermodynamic pathways and critically evaluating the resulting expressions. The final theoretical expression is compared against experimental data obtained in this study from the decomposition of ETBE over Amberlyst 15, as well as that reported in the literature for ETBE synthesis. It can thus be used with reasonable confidence for the calculation of the equilibrium constant, despite a dearth of thermodynamic data yet available in the literature for ETBE. In addition, an expression is derived for the gas-phase equilibrium constant and compared to experimental data from the literature. The thermodynamic approach utilized here should also be useful for other liquid-phase reaction systems.