Patent ID: 8921619
Filing Date: 2014-12-30
Classification: B01J,C07C,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of olefin hydration in a membrane-integrated hydration reactor, the method of olefin hydration comprising the steps of: introducing an olefin feed composition comprising an olefin into the production zone of the membrane-integrated hydration reactor, where the olefin comprises at least one isomer of butene, introducing water into the production zone of the membrane-integrated hydration reactor, operating the membrane-integrated hydration reactor at olefin hydration process conditions such that where the membrane-integrated hydration reactor comprises: the solid acid olefin hydration catalyst that is operable to convert an olefin into the associated alcohol using water at olefin hydration process conditions; a hydrophilic membrane having a feed side and a permeate side that is operable to selectively pervaporate water one-way from the feed side to the permeate side at olefin hydration process conditions, to form the pervaporated water product and to prevent both the pervaporation of the associated alcohol product and permeation of the olefin at olefin hydration conditions; the production zone that contains the solid acid olefin hydration catalyst, that is operable to receive the olefin feed composition and water such that both the olefin and water intimately intermingle in the presence of the solid acid olefin hydration catalyst, and that is operable to pass the production zone product mixture to the associated separations zone; and the associated separations zone that contains the hydrophilic membrane, that couples to the production zone, that is operable to receive the production zone product mixture on the feed side of the hydrophilic membrane, that is operable to form both the associated alcohol product and the pervaporated water product from the production zone product mixture, and that is operable to pass the pervaporated water product within the membrane-integrated hydration reactor; where the membrane-integrated hydration reactor is operated such that the associated alcohol product contains less than or equal to 100 parts-per-million by volume of butenes in the product.