Patent ID: 7329330

Claim:
A process for working up by distillation crude products containing at least one of 1,6-hexanediol (HDO), 1,5-pentanediol (PDO) and caprolactone (CLO) to obtain corresponding purified products, wherein the working up by distillation is carried out in at least one of a dividing wall column (TK) and a thermally coupled column, wherein said dividing wall column consisting essentially of: a dividing wall arranged (T) in a longitudinal direction of the column; an upper common column region; a lower common column region; a feed section having a rectification section and stripping section; and, a take-off section having a stripping section and rectification section, wherein feeding of the respective crude products containing said at least one of HDO, PDO and CLO occurs in a middle region of the feed section and removal of a high boiler fraction (C) occurs at a bottom of the column, removal of a low boiler fraction (A) occurs at a top of the column, and removal of a medium boiler fraction (B) occurs at a middle region of the take-off section.