Recovery Process of Lactic Acid Using Two Distillation Columns

Lactic acid is of interest as the raw materials of polyactide that is a biodegradable polymer. For an effective purification of acid, batch distillation with the simultaneous reactions was used. Two Oldershow colums and reboilers were usde for fractionation of methanol and reactions. Two Oldershaw columns and reboilers were used for fractionation of methanol and reactions. Esterification reaction of lactic with methanol produced methyllactate and water. The productes of the esterification reaction, methl lactate and water were transported to the reboiler of the reproysis part. In hydroduced in the hydrolysis part and nureacter method lactic acid and methanol. Methanol produced in the hydroysis part and unreacted method lactic acid and methanol in the esterification part were separated by distillation and recycled to the revoiler of the esterification part so that the esterification reaction would be stimulated. Thus, pure lactic acid solution remained in the reboiler of the hydroysis part. The effect of the number of stages in column on the recovery yield was also inverstigated. In the operation with colums improved the fractionation of componets and stimulated the reactions in two parts.