K. Jensen, R. Datta
1995
Citations
0
Influential Citations
51
Citations
Journal
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Abstract
The equilibrium-limited liquid-phase synthesis of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) from the combination of ethanol and isobutylene over an ion-exchange resin catalyst, typically Amberlyst 15, is a reaction of considerable industrial importance now. An equilibrium constant relationship is developed for the liquid-phase ETBE reaction by following three alternative thermodynamic pathways and critically evaluating the resulting expressions. The final theoretical expression is compared against experimental data obtained from the decomposition of ETBE over Amberlyst 15, as well as that reported in the literature for ETBE synthesis. In addition, an expression is derived for the gas-phase equilibrium constant and compared to experimental data from the literature. The thermodynamic approach utilized should also be useful for other liquid-phase reaction systems