Patent ID: 6093845
Filing Date: 2000-07-25
Classification: C07C,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for the simultaneous co-production of ethyl acetate and n-butyl acetate, in a reaction of a mixture of ethanol and n-butanol with acetic acid in the liquid phase in the presence of an acidic catalyst, said process comprising the steps of:i. feeding the reactants comprising ethanol, n-butanol and acetic acid to the base of a reaction Column A which contains the acidic esterification catalyst and maintaining the reactants at elevated temperature to form a product comprising ethyl acetate and n-butyl acetate which rises up the Column A,ii. feeding the overheads from Column A comprising the mixture of ethyl acetate and n-butyl acetate, optionally after a decantation step, to about the upper half of a distillation Column C operated under elevated temperature whereby:a. a light ends fraction is separated from the reaction products and recovered as overheads therefrom,b. a stream comprising predominantly ethyl acetate and n-butyl acetate is withdrawn from the base thereof and fed to the upper half of a purification Column E,c. a side-stream comprising the reactant alcohols, water and some of the esters is withdrawn from the upper half of Column C fed to a decanter wherefrom, following decantation, the oil phase is returned to the Column C feed and the aqueous phase fed to Column D,iii. fractionating the stream comprising a mixture of ethyl acetate and n-butyl acetate in Column E so as to recover:a. substantially pure ethyl acetate overhead,b. substantially pure n-butyl acetate from the base of Column E andc. a liquid waste stream at a point intermediate between the withdrawal points for (iii) (a) and (iii) (b) above and comprising the unwanted impurities including the unwanted carbonyl compounds which stream is discharged, andiv. fractionating the side-stream comprising a mixture of the esters and alcohols fed to Column D so as to remove a mixture comprising predominantly ethanol and n-butanol along with small amounts of water, ethyl acetate and n-butyl acetate overhead, and water from the base of Column D.