BACKGROUND Esterification of methoxy propanol (MP) and acetic acid (HAC) to methoxy-2-propyl acetate (MPA) is a typical reversible reaction. The yield of MPA is low owing to the limitation of chemical equilibrium. In the present study, with the goal of increasing the reaction conversion and preventing the NKC-9 cation exchange resin catalyst from deactivation at high temperature, a process combining low-temperature reactive and extractive distillation with cyclohexane (C6H12) as entrainer was investigated by process simulations and experiment methods. RESULTS The intrinsic kinetic parameters were obtained by catalyst activity evaluation in a batch reactor. Binary interaction parameters of thermodynamic models were determined by the measurement and fitting of vapor-liquid equilibrium data. The effects of different operating parameters on the reaction conversion and column performance were examined in detail, and a production process of MPA with an annual output of 56 000 tons was suggested. The results showed that the purity of MPA reached nearly 100% after further purification following reactive distillation, and the reaction temperature was controlled in the range 75-80 degrees C, which allowed long-term operation thermal stability of the catalyst. CONCLUSION The developed low-temperature reactive distillation method ensured a long life of the ion exchange resin catalyst, which should provide insights into further advances of MPA industrial production. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry