(362f) Development and Evaluation of a Continuous Microwave-Assisted Reactive Distillation Pilot-Scale Process for the Synthesis of Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate

By means of microwave irradiation into reactive distillation column, could enhance the reaction rate for a slow reaction and simultaneously improve the efficiency of the distillation process. Furthermore, the thermodynamic irreversibility of distillation may be reduced by the use of microwave irradiation for bulk heating, both of which contribute actually to the improvement of RD system performance. In this paper, esterification, a typical equilibrium limitation reaction, has been chosen to determine the special effect of microwave. The experimental equipment installs a drainage system to move the water that is one of the reaction products. According to compare the experimental results under microwave and traditional heating, the hypothesis can be verified. Moreover, the main influence factor for reactive conversion, microwave power and reaction temperature were systematically investigated in detail to build the kinetic of this reaction in microwave. A continuous pilot-scale MW-RD column has been carried out for the synthesis of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate. Experimental results show that microwave improved drainage can realize the reactive acceleration. The special effect of microwave for some reactions also can be explained by the investigation results.