Evaluation of mechanical vapor recompression in the reactive distillation of the N-butanol esterification process

Danyelle Fialho De Souza Rodrigues,Romildo Pereira Brito,Wagner Brandão Ramos,Karoline Dantas Brito,Arthur Siqueira Damasceno

doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i12.20345

Danyelle Fialho De Souza Rodrigues, Romildo Pereira Brito + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i12.20345

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Abstract

The process of producing esters is usually performed through esterification in a reactor followed by a distillation column to separate the products. However, this design limits the reagent conversion. Reactive distillation is an alternative to get around this issue as it allows greater reagent conversions in reactions limited by chemical equilibrium. It is one of the most famous process intensification techniques. On the other hand, mechanical vapor recompression has been used to recycle waste heat to improve efficiency of conventional distillation columns. In this context, this work evaluated the inclusion of a mechanical vapor recompression system in a reactive distillation process to obtain n-butyl acetate via n-butanol esterification with acetic acid. Systems with and without recompression were simulated in an Aspen Plus™ environment. The addition of recompression resulted in a reduction of 33.65% in the annual cost of the process, while not significantly affecting the purity of the desired product and the reagents’ conversion. From an environmental point of view, the mechanical vapor recompression system adoption resulted in a 12.69% reduction in CO2 emissions, contributing positively to meeting the requirements of the environmental regulations.

Highlights

Introduction nButyl acetate (n-BuAc) is an ester used mainly in the manufacture of paints, coatings, and solvents, to adjust viscosity and improve fluid properties (Bravim Junior & Pires Afonso, 2019)
The esterification process to produce n-butyl acetate may be carried out through a reactor followed by a distillation column
It is observed that the inclusion of the vapor recompression system resulted in a reduction of 33.65% in the total annual cost, considering the n-butanol esterification process

Summary

Introduction

Butyl acetate (n-BuAc) is an ester used mainly in the manufacture of paints, coatings, and solvents, to adjust viscosity and improve fluid properties (Bravim Junior & Pires Afonso, 2019). It is produced through the esterification reaction of acetic acid (HAc) with n-butanol (n-BuOH) in the presence of an acid catalyst. The esterification process to produce n-butyl acetate may be carried out through a reactor followed by a distillation column. Another option is to use a reactive distillation column, which combines the reactor and the distillation column in a single equipment. Reactive distillation is better suited to this type of process for two reasons: 1) constant recycling of unconverted raw material; and 2) continuous removal of products, promoting an increase in the conversion of reagents (Andrade, 2012; Muthia et al, 2018)

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