| Abstract: | In a reactive distillation column, both the chemical conversion and the distillative separation of the product mixture are carried out simultaneously. Through this integrative strategy, chemical equilibrium limitations can be overcome, higher selectivities can be achieved and heat of reaction can be directly used for distillation. Moreover, azeotropic mixtures and mixtures of closely boiling components can be separated by reactive distillation. Increased process efficiency and reduction of investments and operational costs are the direct results of this approach. |
