You need to hydrolyze 500 lb/day of an ester at an initial concentration of 5 molar in basic, aqueous solution. The ester has a MW of 120. The product must be 99% hydrolyzed. In bench top experiments at 40C, it is found that 50% of the ester hydrolyzes in 15 minutes, with either 1 or 5 molar starting concentration. A reaction for 8 hours hydrolyzes essentially all the ester. It takes one hour to empty the reactor, refill with reactants, and restart.
A) What size reactor is needed for operation at this same temperature? (Answer in liters)
B) What size reactor would be needed for just 90% hydrolysis (answer in liters)
C) The above reaction has an activation energy of 12 kcal/mole. What reactor volumes are needed if we can operate at 80C?