Catalytic distillation process

A method of producing tertiary butyl alkyl ether and mixtures thereof with isobutyl alkyl ether or butyl alkyl ether, comprising:

• (a) feeding:
• (1) a mixture containing isobutene and normal butene and
• (2) alcohol having 1 to 6 carbon atoms to a distillation column reactor into a feed zone,
• (b) concurrently:
• (1) contact said mixture and said alcohol with a fixed bed acid cation exchange resin packing in a distillation reaction zone thereby catalytically reacting at least the isobutene to form an ether product containing tertiary butyl alkyl ether or a mixture thereof with butyl alkyl ether or isobutyl alkyl ether,
• (2) fractionating the resulting mixture of ether product and unreacted materials,
• (c) withdrawing the ether product from the distillation column reactor at a point below said feed zone, and
• (d) withdrawing the unreacted materials from the distillation column reactor at a point above said feed zone.

A method of producing tertiary amyl alkyl ether and mixtures thereof with isoamyl alkyl ether, or amyl alkyl ether comprising:

• (a) feeding:
• (1) a mixture containing isoamylene and normal amylene and
• (2) alcohol having 1 to 6 carbon atoms to a distillation column reactor into a feed zone,
• (b) concurrently:
• (1) contacting said mixture and said alcohol with a fixed bed acid cation exchange resin packing in a distillation reaction zone thereby catalytically reacting at least the isoamylene to form an ether product containing tertiary amyl alkyl ether or a mixture thereof with isoamyl alkyl ether or amyl alkyl ether,
• (2) fractionating the resulting mixture of ether product and unreacted materials,
• (c) withdrawing the ether product from the distillation column reactor at a point below said feed zone, and
• (d) withdrawing the unreacted materials from the distillation column reactor at a point above said feed zone.