Dehydration of tert-butyl alcohol in reactive distillation

A system of tert-butyl alcohol can be effectively provided for a chemical heat pump cycle to upgrade low- temperature waste heat energy. This study focuses on an important part of the cycle, an endothermic reaction, specifically the liquid-phase dehydration of tert-butyl alcohol to produce isobutene and water below 373 K. Dehydration is carried out in a reactive distillation column with a catalyst-bed filled with Amberlyst 15 for various reduced pressures and feed flowrates, The use of reactive distillation facilitates complete conversion of the dehydration of tert-butyl alcohol by avoiding strong inhibition of water in this reaction. Experimental results are compared with the results simulated by using an ASPEN PLUS Process Simulater.