Extractive distillation process for the production of fuel grade alcohols

An extraction process for the dehydration of a hydrated aliphatic, monohydric alcohol to produce a fuel grade alcohol which comprises

• forming a solvent extractant by dissolving within a low volatility polyhydric alcohol an alkali-metal or alkaline-earth metal salt selected from the group consisting of sodium tetraborate, potassium orthoborate, potassium phosphate, potassium biphosphate, dipotassium phosphate, and a complex salt prepared by adding two moles of an alkali-metal hydroxide to a mole of an alkali-metal tetraborate, said solvent extractant being constituted of from about 2 percent to about 20 percent of said alkali-metal or alkaline-earth metal salt, and from about 80 percent to about 98 percent of said polyhydric alcohol, based on the weight of the total solvent,
• contacting and dissolving said solvent extractant within said hydrated aliphatic monohydric alcohol,
• distilling said solution of solvent extractant and hydrated aliphatic monohydric alcohol, from about 100 percent to about 800 percent of the extractant solvent being employed to extract and dehydrate said monohydric alcohol, based on the total weight concentration of water contained in said monohydric alcohol, and
• condensing and recovering a dehydrated fuel grade aliphatic, monohydric alcohol from said solution.