Design for simultaneous reaction and liquid-liquid extraction

A general method for the design of liquid extraction-reaction cascades is described. Composition profiles are determined by solving the reactor-extractor model equations, and reactive-phase holdups are determined as a function of reactant conversions, number of reactor-extractors, and solvent flow rate. These methods are intended for conceptual design, e.g., to determine the incentive for using a solvent in a reactive system to extract product from the reactive phase. The results apply to the limiting case where the interphase mass transfer is significantly faster than the rate of chemical reaction. The production of butyl acetate by the esterification of acetic acid with butanol is examined to demonstrate the method. For this reaction system, a cocurrent cascade is preferred over the countercurrent arrangement.