Comprehensive kinetic model for adiabatic decomposition of di-tert-butyl peroxide using BatchCAD

This is the first comprehensive study on the kinetic modeling of adiabatic decomposition of ditert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) and its solvent mixtures. The adiabatic thermal decomposition of DTBP and its solvent mixtures was examined using an accelerating rate calorimeter under varying thermal inertia. The decomposition products were characterized using gas chromatography-total inorganic carbon analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy to elucidate the mechanistic pathways for decomposition under adiabatic conditions. Reaction models (overall stoichiometric equations) for the decomposition of neat DTBP and its mixture in various solvents have been proposed for the first time. A comprehensive kinetic analysis based on simultaneous treatment of mass and energy balances has been done using a software called BatchCAD. The activation energies for the decomposition of DTBP and its mixtures in various solvents were quite consistent. This comprehensive study has answered to many ambiguities and questions on the mechanism of DTBP decomposition and its kinetics.