Ethyl Acetate Purification via Liquid-Liquid Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional processes for producing ethyl acetate are energy-intensive and fail to meet the required purity standards efficiently, necessitating a more economical and energy-efficient method for obtaining carboxylic acid esters.
Innovation Solution
A process involving an esterification reaction between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, followed by distillation and liquid/liquid extraction, where the organic phase is depleted in alcohol and freed from carboxylic acid through contact with an aqueous phase, optimizing the molar ratio of reactants and extraction conditions to reduce energy consumption and enhance purity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional distillation processes are used to purify ethyl acetate, then the purity requirement can be met, but energy consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The purification process is divided into multiple distillation columns with specific functions: first column removes low-boiling components, second column removes high-boiling components, and third column achieves final purification. This segmentation allows each column to operate at optimized conditions, reducing total energy consumption while meeting purity requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The esterification reaction uses a molar ratio of acetic acid to alcohol between 7 and 25, with excess acetic acid. This preliminary action ensures high conversion of alcohol to ester, reducing the burden on subsequent purification steps and lowering overall energy requirements
2Productivity
If excess acetic acid is used in esterification, then conversion of alcohol is improved, but separation and purification becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The process utilizes the different boiling points of components (ethyl acetate: 77°C, acetic acid: 118°C, ethanol: 78°C) by employing multiple distillation columns operating at different temperature profiles. This parameter change enables effective separation of excess acetic acid from the ester product
Solution Approach 2:
The distillation columns act as intermediary devices between the esterification reactor and the final product storage. These intermediaries progressively remove excess acetic acid and other impurities, transforming the complex reaction mixture into pure ethyl acetate
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process significantly reduces energy consumption and improves the purity of ethyl acetate production, achieving a more economical and efficient method for producing high-purity carboxylic acid esters.
Implementation Method 1
a separation step during which the organic phase is depleted in alcohol and freed from the carboxylic acid by a liquid/liquid extraction operation by bringing said organic phase into contact with an aqueous phase making it possible to extract the alcohol and the carboxylic acid present in the organic phase into the aqueous phase
Implementation Method 2
c) condensation of the vapor flow resulting from step b)
Implementation Method 3
a) esterification reaction between the carboxylic acid and the alcohol in the presence of a homogeneous or heterogeneous catalyst
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for producing a carboxylic acid ester, particularly an acetic acid ester and specifically an ethyl acetate ester. The present invention specifically relates to a method for producing a carboxylic acid ester from an organic phase produced from an esterification reaction between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Said organic phase includes, at least predominantly, the carboxylic acid ester and also contains minor amounts of alcohol and water. Said method is characterized in that it includes a separation step, during which the organic phase is depleted of alcohol and free of carboxylic acid via a liquid-liquid extraction operation that is performed by placing said organic phase in contact with an aqueous phase, thus enabling the alcohol and the carboxylic acid, that are present in the organic phase, to be extracted to the aqueous phase.