Multifunctional reactor for the synthesis of dimethylacetal

The synthesis of dimethylacetal (1,1-dimethoxyethane) was performed in a Simulated Moving Bed Reactor (SMBR) pilot unit LICOSEP 12-26 (Novasep, France) with 12 columns packed with the acid resin Amberlyst-15 wet (Rohm & Haas, France). For the operating conditions used, the performance parameters obtained were as follows: acetal purity, 91.41%; productivity rate, 5.17 kg(acetal)/(L-adsorbent day); and desorbent consumption, 7.11 L-methanol/kg(acetal). The effect of the switching time, feed composition, and desorbent flow rate in the performance of the SMBR was studied by means of two mathematical models approaches: the SMBR model (for the concentration profiles and performance parameters) and the True Moving Bed Reactor (TMBR) model (for the reaction separation regions).