Pilot-scale validation and process design of reactive distillation with HY@SiC structured catalytic packing for dimethyl maleate production

In reactive distillation processes constrained by the efficiency of vapor–liquid mass transfer, reducing the physical dimensions of simultaneous reaction and separation operations can significantly enhance overall process efficiency. To achieve this, HY@SiC, a structured catalytic packing was developed, allowing for concurrent catalytic reactions and vapor–liquid mass transfer on its surface. This innovative catalytic packing was employed in a pilot reactive distillation column to experimentally investigate the production of dimethyl maleate via reactive distillation, marking the first validation of its performance. Additionally, a reactive distillation model incorporating HY@SiC structured catalytic packing was established. Ultimately, a new double-column reactive distillation process for producing dimethyl maleate was proposed, with plans for optimization aimed at minimizing total annual cost, which was 4.08 × 10 5  $/y, utilizing a sequential iterative algorithm as the core focus for design improvements, while achieving DMM yield and purity levels of 99.42 % and 99.0 wt%, respectively.