Synthesis of the Biofuel Additive 1,1‐Diethoxybutane in a Fixed‐Bed Column with Amberlyst‐15 Wet

The synthesis of 1,1‐diethoxybutane (DEB) through the acetalization reaction between ethanol and butyraldehyde was studied in a fixed‐bed adsorptive reactor packed with Amberlyst‐15 wet. The miscibilities of reactants and water were evaluated and breakthrough experiments with nonreactive pairs of ethanol‐water and ethanol‐DEB were performed. The parameters of the isotherms were fitted by a Langmuir competitive model. Synthesis of the acetal was carried out with mixtures of ethanol and butyraldehyde at different molar ratios. The dynamic behavior of the fixed‐bed adsorptive reactor was described by a mathematical model developed taking into account the reaction kinetics, adsorption mechanisms, mass transfer resistances, and velocity variations.