The reactive distillation column combines reaction and distillation in one unit, allowing for improved control, increased conversion rates, and the ability to separate compounds involved in complex chemical reactions. It works by exploiting vapor-liquid interactions and mass transfer within the column under precise temperature control. While more complex than a standard distillation column, reactive distillation provides benefits like lower costs through more effective use of resources and integration of reaction and separation in a single unit.

2. The Reactive Distillation column has been
developed to enjoy a number of specific
advantages over the conventional system of
reaction cum distillation processes. The reactive
distillation is well known for its improved
performance, better control of heat, a specificity
to the sample, increased conversion rate, effective
utilization of heat, and avoidance of azeotropes in
the column.

3. The column works on the principle of the vapor-
liquid interaction, mass transfer rates, and on the
diffuse and chemical kinetics that meant to
enhance the efficiency and accuracy in
distillations or other separation techniques
involved in the extraction of the desired sample.

4. The efficiency of the technique depends mainly
on two factors. These two factors are volatility of
the compound and the temperature of the
column. Slight variation in the temperature of
the column may affect the separation process as
different chemical compounds undergo reaction
at different temperature. It requires great
precision while handling the chemical process
carried out inside the separating column

5. This is one of the reasons that this special
distillation technique is not an universal
separation process in the industries and chemical
laboratories. The feasibility of the chemical
reaction is a major regulatory factor that affects
the functioning of the reversible chemical
reaction cum distillation technique..

6. It is specifically used to carry out the separation
of the compounds that undergo complex
chemical reactions. The chemical reactions
usually carried out in the column are
etherification, etherification, hydrogenation,
hydrodesulphurization, and polymerization.
While introducing an in-situ separation
technique in the column creates complexity in
the process and may hamper the equilibrium
between liquid and vapor, impart difficulty in
mass transfer rates.

7. Reactive distillation column comprises of a
reactive column and a distillation column. The
reactive feed part of the column and the
distillation unit are the two components of the
column attached to each other. The two
components of the column are attached in a way
that the input from the reaction column
continuously feed into the separating unit which
allows continuous separation of the compound
formed inside the column.

8. The distillation technique is quite beneficial
over the other separation techniques. As, it
ensures, effective use of the resources, low
power consumption and reduces capital
investment as the single column can perform the
dual process of the chemical industry. Since the
technique is not much older, research on the
various aspects of the reactive distillation. The
major aspect of the research involves modeling,
column design, simulation, process synthesis,
non-linear dynamics and heat control.

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