Reactive distillation — experimental data for propyl propionate synthesis

Abstract

AbstractA set of experimental data for heterogeneously catalysed esterification of propan-1-ol and propionic acid to propyl propionate in a pilot scale reactive distillation column is presented. The catalytic section of the column was equipped with the structured packing Katapak SP-11. Both, rectifying and stripping, sections consisted of the non-reactive structured Sulzer BX packing. As catalyst, the strongly acidic ion-exchange resin Amberlyst 46 was used. The experimental results show concentration as well as temperature profiles along the column height and therefore exhibit reliable data for model validation purposes.