Vapor–liquid and chemical equilibria model for formaldehyde–trioxane–sulfuric acid–water mixtures

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDTrioxane (C3H6O3) is industrially produced from aqueous formaldehyde (HCHO) solutions through catalytic distillation catalyzed by sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Optimizing industrial process of the synthesis and developing new catalysts require a reliable model for the vapor–liquid equilibria in reaction mixture HCHO–C3H6O3–H2SO4– H2O and a deep understanding of the role of H2SO4 in the industrial production of trioxane.RESULTSHere the Maurer and co‐workers's model and the LIFAC model along with their model parameters were invoked to develop such a model. The vapor–liquid equilibrium data in HCHO–C3H6O3–H2SO4–H2O and HCHO–salt–H2O were systematically measured and utilized to determine the newly introduced model parameters. The model thus‐established provides a reliable method for calculating and predicting the vapor–liquid and chemical equilibria data in HCHO–C3H6O3–H2SO4– H2O and HCHO–salt–H2O.CONCLUSIONSThe prediction results uncover that, in addition to its ability to accelerate the reaction, the catalyst H2SO4 has strong abilities to increase the activity of ‘real’ reactant for trioxane synthesis and to promote the phase separation that is very important for drastically increasing the yield of trioxane, reducing the energy requirement for the trioxane synthesis, and decreasing the formation of the by‐product formic acid. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry