Patent ID: 8183396

Claim:
A process for working-up of vitamin E comprising: (a) purifying a vitamin E-containing product stream by feeding the vitamin E-containing product stream to a first rectification column to obtain a purified vitamin E-containing stream, (b) taking off the purified vitamin E-containing stream as a side take-off stream at a side of the first rectification column; (c) acetylating at least a part of the purified vitamin E-containing stream in an acetylation stage to form a vitamin E acetate (VEA) product stream; (d) passing at least a part of the VEA product stream from the acetylation stage into a second rectification column and obtaining from the second rectification column as a first grade of VEA product having a purity of ≧97% and/or taking off at least a part of the VEA product stream from the acetylation stage a second grade of VEA useful product having a purity of ≧92% by weight; (e) feeding a part of the side take-off stream of the first rectification column, optionally together with a part of a distillate stream from an evaporator, to a third rectification column; and taking off a vitamin E-containing useful product having a purity of >97% by weight as either a side or bottom take-off stream from the third rectification column.