Process for producing ethyl tertiary butyl ether by catalytic distillation
US5990361A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 18, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 18, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P20/10
- WIPO fieldOrganic fine chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A low pressure catalytic distillation process for producing high purity ethyl tertiary butyl ether that contains less than 0.6 weight percent ethanol, and preferably less than 0.07 weight percent ethanol, has been developed. The high purity ethyl tertiary butyl ether is withdrawn directly from a catalytic distillation column. No downstream processing is necessary to remove excess ethanol from the ether product. A stream containing a significant amount of one or more inert azeotropic agents such as normal butane, isopentane, and isobutane is introduced along with the isobutylene and ethanol reactants into an etherification zone containing a catalytic distillation column. The catalytic distillation column is operated under low pressure conditions which result in the reaction of the ethanol with the isobutylene to form ethyl tertiary butyl ether. The inert azeotropic agent must be present at the inlet to the catalytic distillation column in an amount sufficient to azeotrope excess ethanol and cause the excess ethanol to distill into an overhead stream under the conditions of operation. The preferred azeotropic agent is isopentane. Excess ethanol forms an azeotrope with the azeotropic …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.