Simulated Moving Bed Reactor for the Synthesis of 2-Ethylhexyl Acetate. Part I: Experiments and Simulations

Abstract

Reactive chromatography (RC) is a promising technology, wherein equilibrium limitations are overcome by simultaneous reaction and adsorptive separation in a single unit. This operation, on a large scale, can be performed conveniently in a simulated moving bed reactor (SMBR) in continuous mode. In this work, we demonstrate the use of an SMBR for the synthesis of 2-ethylhexyl acetate through experiments and simulations. The kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherm, which serve as inputs to the simulator, were taken from an earlier study (GyaniMahajani Sep. Sci. Technol. 2008, 43, 2245). A parametric study was performed using the experimentally validated simulator by varying one of the parameters at a time, to yield desired performance in terms of conversion, purity, productivity, and desorbent consumption. The trends in the results are explained with the help of variations in the solid and liquid concentrations. The simulation results indicate that an SMBR unit containing eight columns is able to offe...