Optimisation of semi-batch reactive distillation column for the synthesis of methyl palmitate.

• Synthesis of methyl palmitate (MP) via reactive distillation was not studied in the past. • Conventional batch reactive operation (CBRD) is not appropriate for the purpose. • Semi-batch reactive distillation (SRBD) is a viable option for the synthesis of MP. • Performance of SRBD is evaluated against conversion, energy consumption and batch time. • 52–80% improvement in conversion of palmitic acid is obtained. Synthesis of methyl palmitate (MP) has not been considered in the past using a reactive distillation process (continuous or batch) due to the challenge of keeping the reactants palmitic acid (PA) and methanol (MeOH) together in the reactive zone. MeOH, being the lightest in the reaction mixture, travels up the distillation column as distillation proceeds and will be removed from the system via the distillate in a conventional batch reactive distillation (CBRD) column and thus will limit the conversion of PA. Therefore, in this work semi-batch reactive distillation (SBRD) column is proposed where additional methanol will be fed at the bottom of the column in a continuous mode allowing the chemical reaction to continue. However, as water (H 2 O) is one of the reaction products and is the second lightest component in the mixture, it will travel up the column next and will be removed in the distillate tank. Also due to wide difference in the boiling points of the reaction products and due to diminishing amount of water in the reboiler, the backward reaction will not be a dominating factor and therefore ignored in this work. With this backdrop, optimal performance of the SBRD column is evaluated in terms of conversion of PA to MP and energy consumption via minimization of the operating batch time for a wide range on MP purity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]