Kinetics and thermodynamics study of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide in
microreaction system and its kiloton pilot plant
Abstract
The organic peroxide industry is highly hindered by accidents resulting
from their synthetic reaction. It is significant demand for green
advances to develop efficient & safe synthesis technology for methyl
ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) and other organic peroxides. Moreover,
lacking quantitative model for MEKPO synthesis reaction, it is
insufficient to determine regulatory mechanism, eliminate potential
risks, and achieve successful scale-up. Herein, a microreaction platform
was established to get thermodynamics and apparent kinetics model of
MEKPO synthesis reaction. With its guidance, a scaled-up microreaction
process was developed for such a typical organic peroxide (MEKPO), with
1000 tons/year productivity. In the pilot plant, the conversion of
reactants is higher than current batch process, within only 390s
residence time. The space-time yield increased by 55 times, which
greatly reduced the liquid hold-up and ensured safety. It is the first
microreaction pilot plant for organic peroxides, improving both safety
and efficiency for the industry.