Description
Reactive distillation: a Distillation culinary technique.
Technical
Reactive distillation is a process where the chemical reactor is also the still. Separation of the product from the reaction mixture does not need a separate distillation step which saves energy and materials. This technique can be useful for equilibrium-limited reactions such as esterification and ester hydrolysis reactions. Conversion can be increased beyond what is expected by the equilibrium due to the continuous removal of reaction products from the reactive zone. This approach can also reduce capital and investment costs.
Science
Primary Reaction
Esterification
Parameters
Temperature
100°C optimal
50°C to 150°C range
Temperature range for reactive distillation
Time
1 hour
30 minutes – 2 hours
Equipment