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Homogeneous Catalytic Kinetics of Methyl Glycolate Hydrolysis
Author(s) -
Xu Yan,
Meh Ablikim,
Yang Guangcun,
Zhao Yujun,
Chen Qu,
Li Zhenhua,
Ma Xinbin
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemical engineering and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-4125
pISSN - 0930-7516
DOI - 10.1002/ceat.201500649
Subject(s) - reactive distillation , hydrolysis , chemistry , catalysis , sulfuric acid , glycolic acid , distillation , batch reactor , homogeneous , kinetics , organic chemistry , homogeneous catalysis , chromatography , lactic acid , thermodynamics , physics , quantum mechanics , biology , bacteria , genetics
Catalytic hydrolysis of methyl glycolate is a promising way to produce glycolic acid with high purity. The hydrolysis of methyl glycolate was investigated both in a stirred‐batch reactor and in a reactive distillation column. Batch hydrolysis distillation was found to be rather effective in improving the conversion of methyl glycolate. A mechanism model including the cooperative catalysis of sulfuric acid and the generated glycolic acid was developed based on the acid‐catalyzed hydrolysis mechanism and the protolysis equilibrium; then, the model was further simplified according to the relationship between the concentrations of hydroxonium ions and their providers. This simplified model could be easily introduced to Aspen Plus and applied to simulating the homogeneous hydrolysis process of methyl glycolate with or without sulfuric acid as catalyst via the reactive distillation technique.