Esterification of Acrylic Acid and <i>n</i>-Butanol in a Pilot-Scale Reactive Distillation Column—Experimental Investigation, Model Validation, and Process Analysis

Abstract

Due to a high risk of polymerization and complex thermodynamic behavior of the chemical system, the current production process for n-butyl acrylate synthesis is cost-intensive and challenging. Reactive distillation integrates chemical reactions and distillation into one unit at the same time and is one of the best-known examples of process intensification. To facilitate industrial application of this concept for the production of n-butyl acrylate, reliable experimental data are required. This article presents an experimental and theoretical investigation of the synthesis of n-butyl acrylate using reactive distillation. Experiments were conducted in a pilot-scale reactive distillation column, and the decisive operational parameters were varied. To predict the experimental results, a nonequilibrium-stage model was applied and the model was validated using the experimental data. The validated model was then used to perform a process analysis, showing trends in the conversion of acrylic acid and n-butanol and the purity of n-butyl acrylate that can be used for prospective optimization studies.