Dalian Chemical Institute built a pilot plant for the preparation of butyrate by one-step catalytic conversion of n-butyral
On December 24th, the scientific and technological achievements of "N-butyral one-step catalytic conversion to butyrate preparation of butyrate pilot technology" jointly developed by the research team of Dalian Chemical All-Organic Catalysis Research Group (DNL0601) and Tianjin Bohua Yongli Chemical Co., Ltd. passed the appraisal of scientific and technological achievements organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation in Beijing.
The appraisal committee unanimously agreed that "the technology is advanced, innovative, and the comprehensive technology has reached the international leading level, and recommends that the process package preparation and industrial production of the scale of 10,000 tons be carried out as soon as possible".
Butyl butyrate is a colorless, fruit-scented liquid naturally present in fruits such as apples, bananas, grapes and strawberries, mainly used in the manufacture of edible flavors and daily fragrances, and can also be used as a solvent for resins and coatings such as nitrocellulose, shellac, rosin, and coumarin.
The traditional process is to use n-butyric acid and n-butanol as raw materials, concentrated sulfuric acid as catalyst, the use of esterification method to produce butyl butyrate, there are many drawbacks of low single-pass conversion of the reaction, many side reactions, serious equipment corrosion, large "three wastes" emissions, complex after-treatment and high production costs. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new catalysts to achieve a green and environmentally friendly production route of butyrate.
"N-butyral one-step catalytic conversion to prepare butyrate pilot technology" using the catalytic condensation technology developed by the research team of Dalian Institute of Chemicals DNL0601, using n-butyral as raw material, synthesizing butyrate in one step, and completed the construction of a continuous 100-ton pilot plant in March this year, the device has been running stably since the start-up and commissioning in July, and passed the on-site assessment and calibration of experts organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation on December 21.
The 72-hour assessment results of this technology are: the average conversion rate of n-butyral is 91.58%, the selectivity of butyl butyrate is 98.25%, and the purity of the separated product is 99.36%. This technology can replace the preparation process of traditional butyl butyrate, without going through the production process of acid and alcohol, and has the advantages of simple route, good atomic economy, mild reaction conditions, green safety, no equipment corrosion problems, low equipment investment and operation and maintenance costs. (Text/Du Wenqiang Photo/Chen Weidong)