Semi-Continuous Reactive Batch Distillation for Production of Methyl Formate

Reaction kinetics of the esterification of Methyl Formate (MF) is studied in a batch reactor at different temperatures and the reliability of the estimated parameters is analyzed with Matlab using a fourth order Runge-Kutta method in the paper. Kinetic constants were experimentally examined and used to calculate the optimal operation parameters of semi-continuous reactive distillation for production of MF in order to minimize the amount of unconverted Formic Acid (FA) remained in the bottom. The results show that the optimal condition is obtained at the formic acid/methanol mole ratio of 0.5:1 and the mass fraction of formic acid at the bottom is 2% which is very close to the calculated value. Simulation work was carried out with Matlab and the results showed good agreement with the experimental data.