Hydration of a-pinene using a polymeric catalytic membrane reactor

Abstract

The acid catalysed hydration of a-pinene yields a complex mixture of monoterpenes, alcohols and hydrocarbons, being a-terpineol the main product.A kinetic model based on the assumptions that water is the limiting reactant within the membrane and that -pinene concentration is invariant with the membrane thickness was considered. According to the model predictions, the rate limiting step is the diffusivity of water across the membrane. The results show clearly that the assumptions made are consistent with the experimental data.