Study on Synthesis of Ethyl Acetate with Catalytic Distillation

Ethyl acetate was synthesized from acetic acid and ethanol over the catalyst of zeolite of Hβ in a catalytic distillation tower,which diameter and height was 30?mm and 2?000?mm,respectively.Some factors influercing the esterification,such as feed location,reflux ratio,the space velocity of the feed,the ratio of acid to alcohol and reaction location were studied and the appropriate reaction conditions were obtained.When the location of feed site of acid and ethanol was respectively 290?mm and 1710?mm,apart from the top of the tower,the reflux ratio was 1,the space velocity of ethanol was 0.6 per hour and the molar ratio of acid to ethanol was 3∶1,the ratio of the height of rectifying section,reacting section to stripping section was 5∶3∶1,and the reaction time was 6 hours,the content of ethyl acetate in organic phase on the top of tower was 85.06%,the total yields of ethyl acetate was 77%.