Production of ethyl acetate catalyzed by activated carbon-based solid acid catalyst

Abstract

In this work, activated carbon-based solid acid catalyst was prepared from baijiu vinasse using a carbonization–sulfonation method and employed to catalyze esterification of acetic acid and ethanol to produce ethyl acetate. The effects of adding amount of solid acid catalyst, acid alcohol ratio, esterification time and esterification temperature on the esterification reaction were investigated. The esterification rate of ethyl acetate reached 85.4% under the optimal reaction conditions with a catalyst amount of 3%, the molar ratio of ethanoic acid to ethanol at 1:5, and a reaction time and temperature of 80 °C and 4 h, respectively.