Process for separating ethyl tert-butyl ether and ethanol
US5348624A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 12, 1992 |
| Grant date | Sep 20, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 12, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S203/20
- WIPO fieldOrganic fine chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
For separating ETBE and ethanol the following principal stages are employed: (1) Extraction of ethanol by water, the raffinate being ETBE saturated in water and the extract an ethanol/water mixture containing a small proportion of ETBE; (2) Concentration of the above mixture, the distillate being a mixture close to the ethanol/water azeotrope in composition and containing a very small proportion of ETBE; (3) Heteroazeotropic distillation of this distillate in two coupled columns with an overhead decanter, this distillation using ETBE as azeotroping agent; the residue of the first column being ethanol which is ca. 99% by mole and the residue of the second column being practically pure water, this water and the water recovered during the concentration stage being used as extraction solvent in stage (1). Stage (3) may be an ethanol dehydration unit using ETBE as dehydrating agent.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.