Study on the alkaline hydrolysis of tributyl phosphate

The effects of reaction temperature, reaction time, NaOH concentration and dosage on the hydrolysis rate of TBP were investigated. With the optimized conditions, the hydrolysis rate of TBP reached more than 99.5%. The reaction temperature is the greatest impact factor of TBP hydrolysis. As the hydrolysis reaction proceeded, TBP was first hydrolyzed into NaDBP, and then further hydrolyzed into Na₂MBP. Three phases were formed after alkaline hydrolysis of TBP/n-dodecane, the n-dodecane (≈70% v%) was at the top phase that could be recycled or reused.