A novel single-column reactive distillation process was proposed for the hydrolization of methyl acetate, in which the reactive dividing-wall distillation column was used instead of conventional reactive distillation column and methanol distillation column. Both the new process and conventional process were simulated with Aspen Plus. The influence of important operating parameters, such as the mole ratio of water to methyl acetate, the reflux ratio, the water and methyl acetate feed location and the vapor distribution ratio, on the performance of the novel process were studied. The results show that the optimal operational parameters of the new process are as follows: the ratio of water to methyl acetate is 3, the reflux ratio is 5.34, the feed stage of water and methyl acetate is 4 and 17 respectively, and the vapor distribution ratio is 0.71. Under the above conditions, the new process could save energy by 19.6%, and the cost of equipment and operation can be decreased compared with conventional reactive distillation process.
