Effects of synthesis parameters in a solvent-free production of isoamyl acetate in a milli-reactor
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Date
2019-06
Authors
Rajaviknesswaran Singaravelan
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Abstract
Isoamyl acetate is a type of ester that has similar fragrance to banana. It is widely being used as banana flavouring in food industries. Initially, isoamyl acetate was extracted using traditional method from plants and fruits, and then followed by chemical synthesis. Over the time, the esterification process is conducted using enzyme because consumers highly prefer naturally synthesized ester compared to chemically synthesized ester. Meanwhile, process intensification is gaining momentum among the researchers due to numerous advantages. This is because the maximum conversion and yield can be achieved in shorter time in milli-reactors compared to the large conventional batch reactors. Thus this study is conducted to investigate the effects of synthesis parameters on the production of isoamyl acetate in milli-reactors. Acetic anhydride is reacted with isoamyl alcohol in milli-reactor of internal diameter 1mm to produce isoamyl acetate. The effect of synthesis parameters such as flow rate of reactants, reaction temperatures and acid-alcohol ratio without the presence of enzyme was investigated in this study. The trend of the final concentration of isoamyl acetate produced and conversion of acetic anhydride was studied. The trend of the final concentration of isoamyl acetate is also related to the by-product of this reaction which is the acetic acid.