The synthesis of butyl acetate by catalytic distillation has been studied using MINLP optimization. Two process alternatives are investigated, namely a reactive distillation column (RDC) and side reactors coupled with a non-reactive distillation column (SRC). The comparison is made with preliminary results obtained by a one parameter continuation method [1]. Important insights have been gained for a solution procedure of the optimization models. Significant improvements in the economic benefits have been observed in the optimized designs. For example, in terms of a reboiler heat duty 5% improvement in the RDC and 30% improvement in the SRC is noticed. In addition, a more rigorous optimization in terms of an overall operating and equipment cost is carried out. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.