Synthesis of a Renewable Oxygenated Diesel Additive in an Adsorptive Reactor

Abstract

The synthesis of the acetal 1,1-diethoxybutane (DEB) was studied by the first time in a fixed-bed adsorptive reactor packed with the commercial ion-exchange resin Amberlyst 47. The adsorption equilibrium was investigated at 30 degrees C by frontal chromatography with nonreactive binary pairs. The experimental determination of DEB viscosity, the hydrodynamic study of the fixed-bed column, and the study of the butanal/water liquid-liquid equilibrium were performed. DEB production and column regeneration were performed in the fixed-bed adsorptive reactor. Simulation results showed the feasibility of the synthesis of DEB in a simulated moving-bed adsorptive reactor to obtain a conversion and purities in both extract and raffinate above 97% with a productivity of 10.04 kgL(-1)d(-1) and a desorbent consumption of 4.42 Lkg(-1).