A novel process for the integration of chemical reaction and product separation is proposed: the enzymatic catalyzed reactive dividing wall column (eRDWC). The eRDWC combines the highly integrated and complex reactive dividing wall column (RDWC) with the use of a very selective enzymatic catalyst. This apparatus enables the simultaneous production and separation of up to 4 pure product streams. Comprehensive experiments with the reference system of a hexanol and butyl acetate transesterification in a DN 65 pilot scale column show the feasibility of stable steady state operations for this process. A rigorous model for the plant design of an eRDWC wall column is developed. The reaction kinetics and vapor‐liquid‐equilibria for the reference system are measured and implemented in the model. The model is successfully validated using the acquired experimental data. The application of enzymes in continuous reactive distillation processes has the potential to increase the selectivity at milder process conditions. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 2198–2211, 2017

Reactive dividing wall columns (RDWC) are a special type of distillation column that allow for the targeted realization of chemical reactions and the separation into multiple product fractions in one shell. However, despite their huge economical and ecological potentials for certain fields of application, this innovative technology has not found its way into industrial production processes yet. The very limited availability of experimental research studies verifying the prediction capabilities of respective modeling concepts for this type of distillation column might be one decisive reason for that. Therefore, the present study puts its focus on the detailed comparison between experimental operation of RDWC and the corresponding simulation results for steady‐state. For the first time, the mentioned comparison is carried out for a chemical system with non‐negligible side reactions. It is shown that even for this highly complex system, the mathematical model is capable of predicting the column operation. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 1036–1050, 2017

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Integrated distillation equipment like the Petlyuk column offers enormous energy‐saving potential. However, high complexity and few available experimental data lead to high uncertainty. An integrated approach to reduce this risk is proposed. The first study on the influence of relative volatilities on the process behavior is presented. Comprehensive pilot‐plant experiments are displayed for three different component systems of linear alcohols. The experiments are carried out for a wide range of operating conditions. Results show a stable operation and high product purities. Based on the experimental data, a predictive non‐equilibrium stage model for column design is validated. Experiment and simulation indicate good agreement.