Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of butyl butyrate by alcoholysis in an integrated liquid-vapor system.

This paper reports experimental work pertaining to alcoholysis between butanol and ethyl butanoate, catalyzed by an immobilized lipase in a liquid-vapor system where chemical reaction and physical separation are simultaneously carried out. The processing setup was tested for various compositions of the starting feedstock and operated under reduced pressure. Samples were withdrawn both from the boiler and the condenser, and they were chromatographically assayed for butyl butyrate. The integrated configuration tested is quite effective toward improvement of the final yield of the desired product.