Kinetic Study of Acetic Acid Synthesis Using Ir-Catalyzed Homogeneous Methanol Carbonylation Process

In this paper, the kinetic of methanol carbonylation by homogeneous Iridium catalyst with present of CH3I as promoter in acid media, has been studied. The reaction was carried out in liquid media with constant carbon monoxide pressure (22-40 atm) and temperatures of 170, 185, 195 °C. The effect of carbon monoxide partial pressure and methyl iodide promoter, acetate methyl, water and Iridium catalysts concentration on the reaction rate have been investigated. It was found that the reaction rate is dependent on the initial reactant concentrations and CO partial pressure. Based on the Arrhenius formula, the activation energy and frequency factor were calculated.