Patent ID: 7671239

Claim:
A method of producing purified methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) comprising: subjecting a feed stream containing MIBK and impurities in the form of at least water and organic compounds (including unreacted acetone) from a condensation and hydrogenation reaction of acetone to a first distillation procedure from which at least acetone is recovered, and a bottom product containing MIBK and impurities is withdrawn; feeding the bottom product of the first distillation procedure to a liquid-liquid separator associated with a second distillation column in which liquid-liquid separator an organic phase and an aqueous phase separate; feeding the organic phase from said liquid-liquid separator to the top region of a second distillation column which column produces an overhead product; condensing said overhead product; feeding the resulting condensed overhead product to the same liquid-liquid separator to which the bottom product of the first distillation procedure is fed; and withdrawing a bottom product containing MIBK and high boiling impurities from the bottom of the second column; feeding the bottom product of the second distillation column to a third distillation column; withdrawing high boiling impurities as a bottom product; and withdrawing purified MIBK from said third distillation column.