Method for separating ethanol from an ethanol containing solution
AssigneeFried. Krupp Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
InventorsRainer Hagen, Jurgen Hartwig
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Abstract
A process is disclosed for the separation of ethanol from an ethanol containing water solution, wherein the ethanol containing solution is extracted by means of a solvent which is in the liquid or supercritical state, the ethanol containing solvent phase is separated into its components by being conducted over an adsorption medium without changing the pressure or temperature, and the ethanol is recovered by treating the ethanol containing adsorption medium with the solvent used for the extraction at a pressure from 1 to 30 bar and at a temperature from 150.degree. to 300.degree. C.
Claims11
A process for separating ethanol from an ethanol containing water solution, wherein the ethanol containing solution is extracted in an extraction stage with a solvent that is gaseous at 20.degree. C. and 1 bar and is in the liquid or supercritical state in the extraction stage, and wherein the ethanol containing solvent phase is separated from the ethanol poor solution after extraction and is then separated into its components to recover the ethanol;
- said ethanol recovery comprising the steps of:
- passing the ethanol containing solvent phase from the extraction stage without changing pressure or temperature over an adsorption medium and returning the ethanol free solvent phase to the extraction stage;
- driving out the ethanol from the adsorption medium with a gaseous extraction solvent stream at a pressure of 1 to 30 bar and at a temperature from 150.degree. to 300.degree. C.;
- cooling the gaseous extraction solvent which contains ethanol to below the boiling temperature of ethanol at the existing pressure to separate the stream into a liquid ethanol phase and a substantially ethanol free gas phase;
- and recirculating the substantially ethanol free gas phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.