Patent ID: 6369280
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: B01D,C07C,C10L,Y02P

Abstract:
Process for preparing an MTBE or ETBE comprising the steps of:feeding a feedstock mainly containing C3-5 hydrocarbons, to a catalytic distillation reactor system, reacting the C4-5 isoolefines of the feedstock with methanol or ethanol in the presence of a catalyst to form tertiary alkyl ethers. removing the alkyl ethers from the distillation reactor and the majority of the unreacted hydrocarbons with the bottoms product of the distillation, withdrawing an overhead product, which mainly contains an azeotrope of C3 hydrocarbons and about as much C3 as in the feedstock, whereby a part of the unreacted alkanol is removed in the form of said azeotrope, conducting the bottoms product of the catalytic distillation reactor system, wherein said bottoms product has an alkanol concentration of less than 100 ppm, to a distillation column, and recovering MTBE or ETBE in the form of the bottoms product of the distillation column and subjecting the overhead product to alkylation.