Production of tetrahydrofuran by dehydration of 1,4-butanediol using Amberlyst-15: Batch kinetics and batch reactive distillation

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The production of tetrahydrofuran from 1,4-butanediol has been investigated with the intent of process intensification. Batch kinetic experiments were performed using ion exchange resin catalyst, Amberlyst-15. The presence of water was found to strongly affect the performance of the catalyst. The kinetic experiments were performed to capture the effect of water on the reaction along with other variations in reaction conditions like temperature and catalyst ratio. The obtained kinetic data was then regressed to arrive at a logical rate expression. Detailed theoretical and experimental analysis explains the use of process intensification like reactive separation to improve the conversion. This has been assessed with the help of batch reactive distillation runs.