Cogeneration of isobutylene plus MTBE from crude t-butanol/methanol feedstocks
AssigneeTexaco Chemical Company
InventorJohn F. Knifton
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Abstract
Disclosed is an improvement in a method for cogeneration of isobutylene and MTBE by etherification of tBA/MeOH over an ion-exchange resin which allows for more complete conversion of the remaining tBA fraction and comprises a second step consisting essentially of recovering the MTBE from the primary fractionator as an overhead fraction and etherifying the bottoms from the primary fractionator over an inorganic acid catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate faujasite-type Y-zeolite modified with a compound selected from a fluoride-containing compound including hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride, fluorosulfonic acids and their cogeners and triflic anhydride at a temperature of greater than 120.degree. C.
Claims9
In a method for the etherification of tert-butanol/methanol to methyl tertiary butyl ether over an ion exchange resin etherification catalyst and recovery of the product and bottoms in a primary fractionator, the improvement, allowing more complete conversion of the remaining tertiary butyl alcohol (tBA) fraction in the bottoms to MTBE plus isobutylene, which comprises:
- a) recovering the methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from the etherification as an overhead fraction in the primary fractionator,
- b) recovering tertiary butyl alcohol, isopropanol and methanol from the etherification as bottoms in the primary fractionator,
- c) removing the bottoms from the primary fractionator, and
- d) reacting said bottoms in a second step over a catalyst comprising an acidic type Y-zeolite having a silica:alumina ratio in the range of 100:1 to 1:1, modified with a fluorine-containing compound selected from the group consisting of hydrogen fluoride, hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride and triflic anhydride, at a temperature from 180.degree. C. to 220.degree. C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.