Research Article
Obi Chidi and Okoye Ifedi P
Abstract
The kinetics and mechanism of an eco-benign clay catalyst employed in the production of ethyl acetate was evaluated. The results obtained revealed that the conversion of acetic acid was dependent on the catalyst weight, reaction time and mole ratio. The maximum conversion of acetic acid was obtained for mole ratio (acid: alcohol) of 2:1 with optimum catalyst weight of 2.0g at a reaction temperature of 363K and 150 minutes time on-stream. Kinetic studies revealed that the esterification reaction was second-order and followed the single step Eley-Rideal reaction mechanism.