A continuous chromatographic reactor: SMBR

The results about the esterification of acetic acid with ethanol on a highly cross-linked sulphonic ion-exchange resin (Amberlyst 15) in a continuous Simulated Moving Bed Reactor (SMBR) laboratory unit are reported. The resin acts simultaneously and effectively both as a catalyst as well as a selective sorbent. This allows to obtain reaction products of high purity and, since the reaction is equilibrium limited, to achieve greater conversion with respect to that attainable without separation. Multicomponent sorption equilibria and swelling of the resin, as well as esterification kinetics, have been studied experimentally and described through appropriate models. Some experiments in a fixed-bed chromatographic reactor packed with the resin demonstrate the capabilities of the resin. The thermodynamic and kinetic descriptions of the system have been combined to develop a fully predictive mathematical model of the chromatographic reactor, able to predict its experimental behavior with reasonable accuracy.