Kinetic and thermodynamic study of the liquid-phase etherification of isoamylenes with methanol

The kinetics and thermodynamics of liquid-phase etherification of isoamylenes with methanol on ion exchange catalyst (Amberlyst 15) were studied. Thermodynamic properties and rate data were obtained in a batch reactor operating under 1013 kPa and 323-353 K. The kinetic equation was modeled following the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson formalism according to a proposed surface mechanism where the rate-controlling step is the surface reaction. According to the experimental results, methanol adsorbs very strongly on the active sites, covering them completely, and thus the reaction follows an apparent first-order behavior. The isoamylenes, according to the proposed mechanism, adsorb simultaneously on the same single active center already occupied by methanol, migrating through the liquid layer formed by the alcohol around the catalyst to react in the acidic site. From the proposed mechanism a model was suggested and the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were obtained using nonlinear estimation methods.