Process for production of ethyl acrylate

Abstract

A process is provided for the continuous production of ethyl acrylate from ethylene and acrylic acid in the presence of sulfuric acid. The process includes the removal of impurities from the reaction system by passing minor portions of sulfuric acid residue from the process through a wiped-film evaporator whose initial sections are heated to a specific temperature range and whose last or withdrawal sections are cooled to a specific temperature range. The treated sulfuric acid residue is withdrawn from the reaction system. This treatment prevents foaming of the sulfuric acid residue. If foaming of the sulfuric acid residue occurs, the foamed residue can back up into the reaction system requiring a shutdown of the entire process. The improvement of this process is the passing of the ethyl acrylate product residue from the finishing distillation tower into the wiped-film evaporator at the same time that the sulfuric acid residue is being treated. The treatment of the ethyl acrylate product residue recovers additional ethyl acrylate product and acrylic acid starting material from the wiped-film evaporator while the remainder of the ethyl acrylate product residue containing polymerization initiators which in turn can cause undesirable polymerized product is removed from the reaction system.