Oxygenate removal in MTBE production

Process for preparing methyl tert.-alkyl ether which comprises the steps of:

• (a) contacting and reacting in the liquid phase a reaction mixture formed by combining a stream consisting essentially of hydrocarbons having from 4 to 5 carbon atoms and containing at least some proportion of an isoalkylene having from 4 to 5 carbon atoms with less than a stoichiometric excess of methanol, with respect to the isoalkylene, to form a reaction product comprising methyl tert.-alkyl ether, at least 50 ppm (w) unreacted methanol, unreacted C.sub.4 -C.sub.5 hydrocarbons and at least 5 ppm (w) dimethyl ether;
• (b) isolating at least 99 percent (v) of the methyl tert.-alkyl ether from the reaction product;
• (c) recovering the unreacted methanol and dimethyl ether from the residual portion of the reaction product by passing said residual portion in the liquid phase and at a temperature of less than 60.degree. C. through a first adsorption zone containing silica gel as the adsorbent whereby the methanol is selectively adsorbed thereon and thereafter passing the effluent from said first adsorption zone through a second adsorption zone containing zeolite 13X as the adsorbent whereby dimethyl ether is selectively adsorbed and non-adsorbed C.sub.4 -C.sub.5 hydrocarbons are removed therefrom as the effluent and recovered;
• (d) regenerating the two adsorption zones by passing therethrough a non-sorbable purge fluid stream in such a manner that the purge fluid stream passes first through the said second adsorption zone and thereafter the effluent therefrom passes through the first adsorption zone whereby the second adsorption zone is not contacted with methanol desorbed from the first adsorption zone;
• and
• (e) recovering additional methanol and dimethyl ether respectively in the said first and second adsorption zones by passing an additional residual portion of the reaction product as defined in step (c) through the regenerated adsorption zones.