Patent ID: 7553397
Filing Date: 2009-06-30
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
1. A process for the recovery of purified ethyl acetate from a feedstock comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water which comprises: (a) operating a first distillation zone of a pressure-swing distillation system maintained under distillation conditions which include use of a first distillation pressure, which are effective for distillation from a mixture comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water of a first distillate comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol, and not more than 10 mol % water, and which yield an ethanol rich bottom product comprising ethanol and water; (b) operating a second distillation zone of the pressure-swing distillation system maintained under distillation conditions which include use of a second distillation pressure higher than the first distillation pressure, which are effective for distillation from a mixture comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water of a second distillate comprising ethanol, water, and a minor proportion of ethyl acetate, and which yield a purified ethyl acetate bottom product; (c) supplying to a zone selected from the first distillation zone and the second distillation zone a feedstock comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water; (d) recovering a first distillate comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol, and not more than about 10 mol % water from the first distillation zone; (e) supplying material of the first distillate to the second distillation zone; (f) recovering an ethanol rich bottom product comprising ethanol and water from the first distillation zone; (g) recovering a purified ethyl acetate bottom product from the second distillation zone; (h) recovering a second distillate comprising about 68 mol % ethanol, about 6 mol % water, about 25 mol % ethyl acetate and about 1 mol % other components from the second distillation zone; and (i) recycling material of the second distillate of step (h) to the first distillation zone.