PRODUCTION OF BIOADDITIVE ETHYL LEVULINATE IN THE CATALYTIC MEMBRANE REACTOR

Fuel bioadditive ethyl levulinate is the biofuel of the future. Reactants of ethyl levulinate are produced from biomass. Therefore, esterification of ethanol and levulinic acid is an environmentally friendly green process for the production of ethyl levulinate. In this study, synthesis of ethyl levulinate was carried out in the batch reactor and in the catalytic membrane reactor by using sulfated zirconia loaded catalytic membrane. Catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) has higher conversion values than the conventional batch reactor. Optimum operation conditions were specified as T=70°C, M=1:1, and Ccat=8 g/L. The levulinic acid conversion reached 36 % and 89% in the batch reactor (BR) and in the CMR, respectively.