Process for separating the reaction products obtained from etherifying lower isoolefins with methanol

US4334964A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Edeleanu Gesellschaft mbH

Inventors

• Milan Prezelj · Frankfurt am Main, DE
• Gunter Osterburg · Osnabrück, DE
• Joachim E. Putz

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 12, 1981
• Grant date: Jun 15, 1982
• Expiry date: Jun 12, 2001

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S203/20
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method for separating a mixture of reaction products produced in the catalytic etherification of a lower isoolefin with methanol wherein said reaction product comprises a mixture of ether, methanol, unreacted hydrocarbon and tertiary alcohol which comprises adding water to said reaction product to form a hydrocarbon phase containing said ether and an aqueous phase containing methanol and a tertiary alcohol, separating said hydrocarbon phase to recover a methyltertiary alkyl ether, introducing said alcohol-containing aqueous phase into a distillation column to separate a methanol fraction overhead, withdrawing a side stream rich in tertiary alcohol from said distillation column, stripping this side stream in a stripping column to separate a second methanol fraction overhead and a tertiary alcohol bottoms fraction and recycling the methanol overhead fraction from the stripping column to the upper part of the distillation column and recycling the overhead methanol fraction from the distillation column to the feed stream to said reactor.