Kinetic study on the dehydration of tert-butyl alcohol catalyzed by ion exchange resins

The dehydration of tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) in the liquid phase was studied by using an ion exchange resin, Amberlyst 15 (A15) in the H+ form. Experim ents were carried out both in a semi-batch reactor and in a continuous stir red tank reactor (CSTR) with wet or dry resins. The results with the dry re sin in the semi-batch reactor were different from those with the wet resin due to the swelling of resin in the presence of water. However, the results in CSTR agreed well with those in the semi-batch reactor using the wet res in. A rate equation that considered the inhibition of water was Formulated. The experimental results agreed well with the calculated ones. (C) 1999 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Inc.