A novel concept: Semicontinuous reactive distillation

A method for combining reaction and distillation unit operations by using semicontinuous reactive distillation (SRD) methods with CSTR as one of the middle vessels was presented. The SRD system considered the reaction of Acetaldehyde and Propylene reacting reversibly to form 2,4-dimethyl-1,3- dioxolane (DMD) and water. The feed was charged to the CSTR, while the column switched to a new mode where it was used to purify the products in the accumulation tank. The results show that given a regular supply of feed, the SRD system converges to a consistent cycle where purified product can be obtained at regular intervals with minimum reactant losses.