Recovery of acetyl values from ethylidene diacetate

Process for the recovery of acetyl values from ethylidene diacetate which comprises the steps of:

• (1) feeding ethylidene diacetate and water to a liquid phase, hydrolysis zone containing 0.3 to 1 weight percent of methanesulfonic acid catalyst and maintained under boiling conditions, wherein the water:ethylidene diacetate male feed rates are about 1.2:1 to 1.5:1;
• (2) removing from the hydrolysis zone a vapor comprising acetaldehyde, acetic acid and water;
• (3) feeding the acetaldehyde, acetic acid and water from step (2) to a liquid phase, oxidation zone containing about 0.18 to 5 weight percent of a cobalt oxidation catalyst and maintained at a temperature of about 100.degree. to 130.degree. C. and a pressure of about 2.4 to 4.5 bars absolute;
• and
• (4) removing from the oxidation zone a vapor comprising acetic acid and water.

Process for the recovery of acetyl values from ethylidene diacetate which comprises the steps of:

• (1) feeding ethylidene diacetate and water to a liquid phase, hydrolysis zone containing 0.5 to 10 weight percent of an alkylsulfonic acid catalyst and maintained under boiling conditions, wherein the water:ethylidene diacetate male feed rates are at least 1:1;
• (2) removing from the hydrolysis zone a vapor comprising acetaldehyde, acetic acid and water;
• (3) feeding the acetaldehyde, acetic acid and water from step (2) to a liquid phase, oxidation zone containing a cobalt oxidation catalyst and maintained at a temperature of about 100.degree. to 130.degree. C. and a pressure of about 2.4 to 4.5 bars absolute;
• and
• (4) removing from the oxidation zone a vapor comprising acetic acid and water;
• wherein the ethylidene diacetate feed of step (1) is obtained from an iodine removal process comprising the steps of:
• (i) contacting in a purification zone a mixture comprising ethylidene diacetate, acetic anhydride, acetic acid and about 100 to 1500 ppm iodine with about 3 to 6 weight percent, based on the weight of the mixture, of 30 to 70 weight percent aqueous hydrogen peroxide at a temperature of 140.degree. to 160.degree. C.;
• and
• (ii) removing from the purification zone
• (a) a vapor phase comprising water, acetic acid and iodine-containing compounds;
• and
• (b) a liquid phase comprising ethylidene diacetate containing less than about 100 ppm iodine.