Patent ID: 6765110
Filing Date: 2004-07-20
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
A process for the simultaneous coproduction and recovery of ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate, comprising the steps of:(a) reacting a stream comprising ethanol and isopropyl alcohol with acetic acid, in the liquid phase, in the presence of an acidic catalyst wherein the reaction is carried out in a reactor column at an elevated temperature and pressure sufficient to effect esterification of the ethanol and isopropyl alcohol to form a mixture of ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate; (b) removing the mixture of ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate from the reactor column as an overhead stream; (c) condensing the overhead stream to form a liquid reaction product mixture; (d) separating the liquid reaction product mixture into an organic phase comprising ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate and an aqueous phase comprising primarily water; (e) directing the organic phase to a first distillation column and removing a stream comprising ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate from the first distillation column; (f) directing the stream from the first distillation column to a second distillation column and removing an ethyl acetate product stream from the top of the second distillation column and a steam comprising isopropyl acetate from the bottom of the second distillation column; and (g) directing the stream comprising isopropyl acetate to a third distillation column and removing an isopropyl acetate product stream from the bottom of the third distillation column.