This article studies the consecutive transesterification of dimethyl carbonate with ethanol to form ethyl methyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate. The chemical equilibrium and reaction kinetics of this system are investigated experimentally and theoretically. To enhance the reaction rate, the homogeneous catalyst sodium ethoxide was applied. Molar-based and activity-based chemical equilibrium constants were calculated from experimental results, and their temperature dependence was described using the van't Hoff equation. An activity-based kinetic model that considers the temperature dependence of the reaction rate constants with the Arrhenius equation was derived.

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Due to a high risk of polymerization and complex thermodynamic behavior of the chemical system, the current production process for n-butyl acrylate synthesis is cost-intensive and challenging. Reactive distillation integrates chemical reactions and distillation into one unit at the same time and is one of the best-known examples of process intensification. To facilitate industrial application of this concept for the production of n-butyl acrylate, reliable experimental data are required. This article presents an experimental and theoretical investigation of the synthesis of n-butyl acrylate using reactive distillation. Experiments were conducted in a pilot-scale reactive distillation column, and the decisive operational parameters were varied. To predict the experimental results, a nonequilibrium-stage model was applied and the model was validated using the experimental data. The validated model was then used to perform a process analysis, showing trends in the conversion of acrylic acid and n-butanol and the purity of n-butyl acrylate that can be used for prospective optimization studies.

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