Intensified Sulfite Reduction of Alkyl Hydroperoxides in a Rotor–Stator Spinning-Disc Reactor

Abstract

The reduction of tert-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide with sodium metabisulfite was intensified in a rotor–stator spinning-disc reactor (rs-SDR). The reaction kinetics were first obtained in a capillary microreactor. The effects of temperature, aqueous phase ionic strength, mass transfer, and liquid–liquid interfacial area were quantified. A kinetic model was developed, and the kinetic parameters were fitted to the experimental data from the microreactor. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide could be reduced much faster than cumene hydroperoxide because of its higher solubility in the aqueous phase. The reduction rate in the rs-SDR was a factor 15–100 higher than that in the microreactor for rotational disc speeds of 1000–4500 rpm, respectively. This was entirely attributed to the increase in liquid–liquid interfacial area in the rs-SDR, which increased approximately linearly with rotational speed.