Octanol ethoxylation in microchannels

The propagation kinetics of the ring opening polymerization of ethylene oxide with octanol (“octanol ethoxylation”) was studied in a continuous microstructured reactor. Temperature was varied from 130 °C to 240 °C, and application of elevated pressure ensured a homogeneous liquid phase process. The activation energy was found to be EA = 72.2 ± 0.9 kJ mol−1. A numerical model was developed which was able to predict ethylene oxide consumption as function of residence time. w kinetic parameters were used to determine the process intensification potential of this reaction and to study the limits of stable reactor operation.