Continuous synthesis of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide in a microreaction system with concentrated hydrogen peroxide.

Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) is widely used in polymer industry. It is highly sensitive to heat, friction, shock, flame or other sources of ignition, causing risks in production, storage and transportation. In this article, MEKPO is synthesized at a high throughput with concentrated hydrogen peroxide in a microreactor for on-site and on-demand production. The influences of acid concentration, residence time, feeding rate and ratio, and reaction temperature on the yield and the mass fractions of residual methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and active oxygen of the product are systematically investigated. Under optimized condition, the reaction is completed in a few seconds, and the product contains less than 2 wt% residual MEK and has a mass active oxygen fraction higher than 22 wt%, which meets the standard for industrial application. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.