Patent ID: 7141707

Claim:
A process for separating 2-butanol from an industrial mixture which comprises 2-butanol, tert-butanol, and water wherein the proportion by mass of water is greater than the limit concentration of the distillation boundary line connecting an azeotrope of tert-butanol and water; and an azeotrope of 2-butanol and water, comprising separating water from the industrial mixture with a membrane to obtain a retentate which comprises a proportion by mass of water, in terms of the 2-butanol, tert-butanol and water in the retentate, is less than the limit concentration of the distillation boundary line connecting connecting an azeotrope of tert-butanol and water; and an azeotrope of 2-butanol and water; and the separating the retentate by distillation into a stream comprising 2-butanol and a stream comprising tert-butanol and water.