Patent ID: 8373003

Claim:
A method of removing heavy hydrocarbon from reaction products containing sec-butyl acetate, acetic acid and heavy hydrocarbon in a reaction system producing sec-butyl acetate, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon refers to the hydrocarbon having 8 or more carbon atoms, comprising: feeding the reaction products into an azeotropic distillation tower and adding an azeotropic agent into the azeotropic distillation tower, conducting azeotropic distillation, and then drawing out materials from an enrichment area of heavy hydrocarbon formed in the bottom of the azeotropic distillation tower; contacting the materials with water sufficiently to make the heavy hydrocarbon in the materials and the water stratify naturally into stratified substances, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon is contained in an upper layer of the stratified substances and the water is contained in a lower layer of the stratified substances; and discharging the upper layer and recycling the lower layer into the azeotropic distillation tower.