Patent ID: 7658893

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first reactor, a first distillation column, a second reactor, a dewatering apparatus, a dividing wall column having two side offtakes, and a third distillation column thermally coupled to the dividing wall column; wherein the first reactor is connected to the first distillation column by a first connection such that a content of the first reactor can be transferred to the first distillation column via the first connection, wherein the first distillation column is connected to the second reactor by a second connection such that a top fraction of the first distillation can be transferred to the second reactor via the second connection, wherein the first distillation column is connected to the dividing wall column by a third connection such that a bottoms fraction of the first distillation column can be transferred to the dividing wall column via the third connection, wherein the second reactor is connected to the dewatering apparatus by a fourth connection such that a content of the second reactor can be transferred to the dewatering apparatus via the fourth connection, wherein the dewatering apparatus is connected to the dividing wall column by a fifth connection such that a content of the dewatering apparatus, minus any water removed by the dewatering apparatus, can be transferred to the dividing wall column via the fifth connection, wherein the third connection and the fifth connection are arranged such that the bottoms fraction of the first distillation column and the content of the dewatering apparatus, minus any water removed by the dewatering apparatus, can be combined prior to being transferred to the dividing wall column, wherein the dividing wall column is connected to the third distillation column via a sixth connection such that a bottoms fraction of the dividing wall column can be transferred to the third distillation column via the sixth connection, and wherein the sixth connection at the dividing wall column side of the connection is not connected to either of the two side offtakes.