The synthesis of 1,1 -dibutoxyethane was carried out in a simulated moving-bed pilot unit LICOSEP 12-26 (Novasep, France) with 12 columns packed with the commercial ion-exchange resin Amberlyst 15 (Rohm & Haas, France). Experimentally the best raffinate purity obtained was 85% with a productivity of 5.04 kg L(-1) d(-1) and a desorbent consumption of 13.5 L kg(-1). The TMBR model was used to construct reaction/separation regions and to study the influence of feed composition, switching time, flow rates and mass-transfer resistances on the SMBR performance. The SMBR process shows a potential to be a competitive, efficient and environmentally friendly way to produce 1,1-dibutoxyethane and other acetals. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.