A process is provided for making esters of FDCA, in which an aqueous feed comprising glucaric acid is first reacted with a high boiling first alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst and with removing water during the reaction, to form a first product mixture comprising a first ester of FDCA and the high boiling first alcohol, then unreacted high boiling first alcohol is removed from the first product mixture. The first ester of FDCA and the high boiling first alcohol is then transesterified with a lower boiling second alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol and n-propanol, to form a second product mixture comprising a second ester of FDCA with the lower boiling second alcohol, and the second ester of FDCA with the lower boiling second alcohol is recovered.
本发明提供了一种制造
FDCA 酯的工艺,在该工艺中,首先在酸催化剂存在下,将包含葡 萄酸的
水性进料与高沸点第一醇反应,并在反应过程中除去
水,以形成包含
FDCA 第一酯和高 沸点第一醇的第一产品混合物,然后从第一产品混合物中除去未反应的高沸点第一醇。然后将
FDCA 第一酯和高沸点第一醇与选自
甲醇、
乙醇、
异丙醇和正
丙醇的低沸点第二醇进行酯交换反应,形成由
FDCA 第二酯和低沸点第二醇组成的第二产物混合物,并回收
FDCA 第二酯和低沸点第二醇。