The water removal issue in ethyl formate
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This post was last edited by zjp on 2015-8-27 at 10:18. The company’s laboratory currently has a batch of ethyl formate with a moisture content of around 2.3%, and it is necessary to reduce this moisture level to below 0.1%. Some experiments have been conducted: 1. The use of molecular sieves can achieve the desired result, but the conditions for recovering the molecular sieves are not suitable. 2. Using distillation does not yield satisfactory results, as ethyl formate and water are azeotropic. Even if partial dehydration is carried out first (reducing the moisture content to 0.4%) and then distillation is performed, the moisture content remains unchanged. 3. Desiccants calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate are used, with an addition amount of 10% of the mass of ethyl formate; this allows the moisture content to be reduced to only 0.6%. It seems like I’ve thought of many methods, but none of them work. Please, experts, give me some advice!
Consider using glycerol extraction. Ethyl formate is insoluble in glycerol. The density of glycerin, around 1.26, is greater than that of ethyl formate, which is 0.916–0.921.
Is it difficult to restore the molecular sieve after use? After the molecular sieve becomes saturated with water and can no longer function, the material contained in the absorption tank is released. The molecular sieve is then rinsed with tap water, dried in an oven at 300 degrees Celsius. After cooling, it is filtered through a sieve with large pores to remove the molecular sieve powder, after which the molecular sieve can be used again