Patent ID: 7906680

Claim:
A method of integrating a process for the production of poly vinyl alcohol or an alkene vinyl alcohol copolymer with a carbonylation process for the production of acetic acid comprising the steps of: a) producing acetic acid; b) contacting the acetic acid with reactants under conditions sufficient to form vinyl acetate; c) contacting the vinyl acetate with reactants under conditions sufficient to form poly vinyl acetate or an alkene vinyl acetate copolymer; d) contacting the poly vinyl acetate or the alkene vinyl acetate copolymer with a base and methanol under conditions sufficient to form poly vinyl alcohol or an alkene vinyl alcohol copolymer and a methyl acetate byproduct stream; e) purifying the methyl acetate byproduct stream by a process consisting essentially of extractive distillation to form a methyl acetate stream, wherein the purifying step removes sufficient impurities from the resulting methyl acetate stream such that the methyl acetate stream is suitable to feed to a carbonylation production process to produce acetic acid; and f) directing the methyl acetate stream to a carbonylation production process to produce acetic acid.