CPT-2 PROJECT

PRODUCTION OF PROPYL AND BUTYL ACETATE

Supervisor: -
Dr. Fahad Rehman
Submitted By:
Abubakar Saleem SP15-CHE-059
Arslan Ashraf SP15-CHE-063
M. Humza SP15-CHE-053
Irfan Riaz SP15-CHE-061
Umair Shoaib SP15-CHE-041
Sanaullah Khan SP15-CHE-055
M.Noman Saeed SP15-CHE-017
Karam Elahi SP15-CHE-031
Department of Chemical Engineering
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore

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 1. INTRODUCTION: -
Ethyl Acetate is colorless liquid, has a characteristic sweet smell
(like pear drops) and is used in glues, nail polish removers, decaffeinating tea and
coffee, and cigarettes. Ethyl acetate is the ester of ethanol and acetic acid; it is
consumed on a large scale for use as a solvent. Ethyl acetate is highly flammable, as
well as toxic when ingestion or inhaled, and this chemical can be seriously damaging
to internal organs in the case of repeated or prolonged exposure. Ethyl acetate can
also cause irritation when it meets the eyes or skin.
But there is a problem with ethyl acetate because it is very volatile and
hazardous. So, world is shifting on propyl acetate and butyl acetate because
these are less volatile.

A. Propyl acetate
Propyl acetate, also known as propyl ethanoate, is a chemical compound used as a
solvent and an example of an ester. This clear, colorless liquid is known by its
characteristic odor of pears. Due to this fact, it is commonly used in fragrances and
as a flavor additive. Propyl acetate is formed by the reaction of acetic acid and
propanol.

 CH3COOH+CH3CH2CH2OH →
CH3COOCH2CH2CH3 +H2O

B. Butyl acetate
Butyl acetate is used in food industry and has a lot of application as a solvent in paint
products and cosmetics. Butyl acetate is used as an adhesive material for production
of coatings. Butyl acetate is also used in inks. Butyl acetate is produced by reaction
of acetic acid and butanol

 CH3COOH+CH3CH2CH2CH2OH→
CH3COOCH2CH2CH2CH3 +H2O

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Application:
The most common use of n-butyl acetate is as solvent in the production of lacquers
and paints. Its other major use is in the creation of adhesives and hardened coatings.
Normal butyl acetate is also used in the pharmaceutical industry as a solvent or an
extraction agent. Its minor uses include cosmetic products, fragrance solvent in
perfumes, as an anti-corrosive agent, in cleaning and car care products. It is also
used in the synthetic fruit flouring industry. The main user end markets are the
paints/lacquers, coatings, cosmetics, leather, cleaning and the pharmaceutical
industries.

 PAINTS + COATINGS
 INKS
 RESINS + ADHESIVES
 CLEANING HOUSEHOLD + DETERGENTS
 COSMETICS + AEROSOLS
 CHEMICAL + OIL & GAS INDUSTRY
 PLASTICS

2. Comparative and Critical Analysis:

These are different intensified processes for the production of propyl and butyl
acetate through Fisher esterification:

 Conventional Method:
In this process, the esterification reaction is carried out in a stirred tank
reactor at 80 degrees Centigrade with a residence time of 200 min
where excess acetic acid is used to shift the reaction towards the ester
production.

 Reactive Distillation:
The production of Propyl acetate includes RD (Reactive Distillation)
column, a decanter and a purification stripper (RC).

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 Reactive Distillation & Pressure Swing:
It is feasible to use a pressure swing strategy to produce high purity
Propyl Acetate running the RD (Reactive Distillation) at atmospheric
pressure and the recovery column at higher pressure (350 kPa).

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 Reactive Dividing Wall Column:
A configuration of a reactive dividing wall column (RDWC) would
have resulted in higher conversions and energy savings. This was
expected because the continuous removal of water would help reducing
the remixing effect into the reactive section.

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  Cost Comparison Table:

Process Energy costs Raw Materials Variable costs Fixed costs

MM.USD/year costs MM.USD/year MM.USD/year
MM.USD/year
Conventional 6,5 123,5 130 2,3
Process
Reactive 7,1 97,5 104,4 0,8
Distillation
Reactive
Distillation 4,7 96,5 101,1 0,5
& Pressure
Swing
Dividing
Wall 3,9 177,5 181,4 0,6
Column
Reactive
Dividing 3,4 93,4 96,8 0,5
Wall
Column
 Sustainability indicators for propyl/butyl acetate production:

Process Conversion Recovery Productivity Energy

Intensity
Conventional 0.98 0.86 0.84 2.17
Process
Reactive 1 0.97 0.97 2.38
Distillation
Reactive
Distillation 0.98 1 0.98 1.69
& Pressure
Swing
Dividing
Wall 0.71 0.75 0.53 1.32
Column
Reactive
Dividing 0.99 1 0.99 1.15
Wall
Column

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Conclusion:
Amongst all the evaluated alternatives, the novel reactive dividing wall column
(RDWC) configuration developed here offers the highest energy savings, the lower
annual costs, and the overall better sustainability indicators.

3. Safety:

 Material Safety:
 Acetic acid:
Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant),
of ingestion, of inhalation. Hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive,
permeator), of eye contact (corrosive).
Liquid or spray mist may produce tissue damage particularly on mucous
membranes of eyes, mouth and respiratory tract.
Skin contact may produce burns. Inhalation of the spray mist may produce
severe irritation of respiratory tract, characterized by coughing, choking,
or shortness of breath. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness,
watering, and itching.
Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or,
occasionally, blistering.

 Propanol:
Very hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant). Hazardous in case of skin
contact (irritant, permeator), of ingestion, of inhalation. Inflammation of the
eye is characterized by redness, watering, and itching.

 Butanol:
Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, permeator), of eye contact
(irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact
(sensitizer). Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering,
and itching. Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening,
or, occasionally, blistering.

 Sulphuric Acid:
Very hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, irritant, permeator), of
eye contact (irritant, corrosive), of ingestion, of inhalation. Liquid or spray
mist may produce tissue damage particularly on mucous membranes of eyes,
mouth and respiratory tract. Skin contact may produce burns. Inhalation of the
spray mist may produce severe irritation of respiratory tract, characterized by

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coughing, choking, or shortness of breath. Severe over-exposure can result in
death. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering, and
itching. Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or,
occasionally, blistering.

4. Future Plan:

We have bought chemicals (Acetic Acid, Propanol, Butanol and Sulphuric

Acid) and COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) forms
are being filled. After that we will perform experiment in lab to produce
propyl and butyl acetate.

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 5. References:
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