Synthesis of High-Purity Methylal via Extractive Catalytic Distillation

An integrated continuous process, which combines catalytic distillation and extractive distillation in one column, is investigated for the synthesis of high-purity methylal from methanol and formalin in the presence of a cation-exchange resin catalyst. A feed with methanol:formaldehyde 2:1 molar ratio is chosen to evaluate the effects of operating parameters, such as extractant feeding position, ratio of extractant to feed, reflux ratio, and reboiler temperature, on the continuous synthesis of methylal. Under the optimum operating conditions and with water as extractant, the extractive catalytic distillation process operated continuously, producing a methylal purity of 98.7% (H2O