Patent ID: 11084774

Abstract:
The invention relates to an esterification unit (150) and esterification process for producing crude methyl methacrylate (MMA) from methacrylamide (MAM), which enable particularly to improve the yield, meaning that the organics spent acids are low; and at the same time, providing crude MMA with rather good quality, meaning that MMA concentration in crude MMA is rather high and preferably from 50 wt % to 80 wt %. According to the invention, the esterification unit comprises esterification reactors (1, . . . , 5 (or 6) set up in a serial way so that there is a counter current flow between gaseous phase and liquid phase, the liquid phase flowing from first reactor (1) of the series to last reactor (5 (or 6)), and the gaseous phase flowing from reactor to first reactor (1).