Integral Analysis of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether Synthesis Kinetics

Kinetics of the liquid phase synthesis of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) from methanol and isobutylene were studied experimentally in an isothermal integral packed-bed reactor over a commercial ion exchange resin catalyst, Amberlyst 15, under conditions corresponding to those encountered in industrial practice. The reaction equilibrium was also studied experimentally and an expression for the equilibrium constant is proposed. The intrinsic kinetics were determined under conditions free of diffusional influence. The resulting effective activation energy, 85.4 kJ/mol, is about the average of those reported in the literature. Next, intraparticle diffusional limitations were investigated for compositions close to the stoichiometric feed and the results indicate that, with Amberlyst 15 catalyst of average diameter 0.74 mm, the reaction is substantially limited by intraparticle diffusion resistance at temperatures above 333 K and at isobutylene conversions closer to the equilibrium.