METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING MULTIPLE ESTERS

• Main Authors: HUANG HSIAO-PING, CHIEN I-LUNG, LAI I-KUAN, LEE MING-JER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.04.2012
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

Disclosed is a method and an apparatus for manufacturing at least two esters. The method includes steps of: (a) reacting an acid and an alcohol mixture in a reactive distillation (RD) column to generate an alcohol-ester-water azeotrope, wherein the alcohol mixture includes at least two alcohols; (b) separating the alcohol-ester-water azeotrope as the organic mixture and water in a decanter; (c) purifying the organic mixture to generate the ester mixture in a stripper; and (d) performing the ester-ester separation on the ester mixture to generate at least two esters in a distillation column, wherein the number of at least two esters is the same with that of at least two alcohols. The unpurified ester mixture carrying heat can be refluxed into stripper for saving energy and enhancing the efficiency of purification.