| abstract |
Hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid and water are injected into an aqueous reaction medium containing hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, peracetic acid and an acid catalyst, hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid react in the presence of an acid catalyst to produce peracetic acid, and the aqueous acetic acid concentrate is reacted by distillation. Conventional methods of producing peracetic acid products, which are continuously removed from the medium, have today been improved by continuously injecting acid catalyst into the reaction medium and continuously removing part of the reaction medium as the bottom product. Thus, when the flow through of the reaction medium increases, impurities which purify the safety of the process are purified. If the amount of acid catalyst in the reaction medium is further reduced, a product suitable for sterilization can be obtained, for example, from the bottom product. |