Towards a Green Process for Bulk-Scale Synthesis of Ethyl Acetate: Efficient Acceptorless Dehydrogenation of Ethanol

摘要

In 2008, the world market for ethyl acetate was estimated to be 2.5 million tons per annum. This industrially, highly important intermediate is one of the major derivatives of acetic acid. Apart from being used as solvent it is an important intermediate in the food industry, and for various customer applications such as glues, inks, and perfumes. Today, its manufacture mainly relies on three procedures: a) the Fischer esterification reaction of acetic acid, b) the Tishchenko reaction by combination of two acetaldehyde molecules, and c) the addition of acetic acid to ethylene. All these processes use petrochemical feedstocks derived primarily from fossil fuels, a limited and intrinsically polluting supply.