01156nas a2200169   4500008004100000022001400041245006800055210006800123260007100191300001200262490000700274520054300281100002400824700001800848700002600866856009400892       2009                        eng d  a1083-616000aPilot plant study of recovery of lactic acid from ethyl lactate0 aPilot plant study of recovery of lactic acid from ethyl lactate  a1155 16TH ST, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 USAbAMER CHEMICAL SOCcMAY  a573-5750 v133 a<p>Purified lactic acid is used for production of biodegradable polymer. Esterification with ethanol and subsequent hydrolysis in distillation columns to produce purified lactic acid without catalyst has obvious advantages. In this paper, we present a pilot-plant study of ethyl lactate hydrolysis to produce 3.86 kg/h lactic acid (99.85% purity) using three distillation columns. Simulation of distillation columns at steady state has been carried out, and the results obtained tally with the experimental results of the pilot plant.</p>1 aBarve, Prashant, P.1 aRahman, Imran1 aKulkarni, Bhaskar, D.  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/pilot-plant-study-recovery-lactic-acid-ethyl-lactate-002370nas a2200193   4500008004100000022001400041245022700055210006900282260007100351300001400422490000700436520149300443100002301936700002401959700002701983700001802010700002602028856012202054       2012                        eng d  a0888-588500aPurification of lactic acid via esterification of lactic acid using a packed column, followed by hydrolysis of methyl lactate using three continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) in series: a continuous pilot plant study0 aPurification of lactic acid via esterification of lactic acid us  a1155 16TH ST, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 USAbAMER CHEMICAL SOCcFEB  a1506-15140 v513 a<p>The world market of lactic acid is growing every year, mainly as a solvent and precursor to poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The cost of renewable biomass-derived PLA will have to compete with other synthetic polymers, if it is to grab a significant and sustainable fraction of the market share. It is thus necessary to have efficient and cost-effective technology for the production of pure-grade lactic acid (LA). In this article, a novel cost-effective, eco-friendly continuous process for the production of high-quality lactic acid at pilot plant scale has been demonstrated. The novelty of this process is that, for the first time, we report and use the concept of inverse reactive distillation for the esterification of crude concentrated LA in a continuous countercurrent packed column mode. This allows us to operate the column at higher temperatures, improving the kinetic rate process and leading to shorter columns. This is followed by the hydrolysis of methyl lactate (MLA) in a series of three continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs), where LA itself acts as a catalyst. The LA obtained in the pilot plant process shows 99.81% purity (by weight) on water-free basis and has an optical purity of 99.9%. The pilot scale experimental results pertaining to the autocatalytic esterification of LA and hydrolysis of MLA have been compared and validated, with respect to simulated results. The innovations reported here can make the process economically viable for commercial use.</p>1 aKamble, Sanjay, P.1 aBarve, Prashant, P.1 aJoshi, Jyeshtharaj, B.1 aRahman, Imran1 aKulkarni, Bhaskar, D.  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/purification-lactic-acid-esterification-lactic-acid-using-packed-column-followed-0