Coupled production of two esters
AssigneeCelanese Chemicals Europe GmbH
InventorsEckhard Schulz, Helmut Bauer, Klaus Dieter Merscher
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method for the coupled production of two esters by reacting a mixture of aliphatic alcohols with an aliphatic carboxylic acid and then treating the resulting mixture by distillation. During the distillation process, a side flow that is taken from the distillation column that is connected downstream of the esterification reactor is fed back into said esterification reactor. The pure ester compounds are obtained from the bottom of the distillation columns that are connected downstream of the esterification reactor.
Claims11
A process for the coupled production of ethyl acetate and butyl acetate or ethyl acetate and i-propyl acetate by reacting a mixture of ethanol and butanol or of ethanol and i-propanol with acetic acid and working up the crude ester mixture by distillation, wherein after the water of reaction has been separated off, the crude ester mixture leaving the esterification reactor is fed to a first distillation column, in which a side stream containing the higher-boiling alcohol component is taken off below the feed point of the crude ester and is recycled to the esterification reactor, in which the essentially pure butyl acetate or i-propyl acetate is taken off via bottom of the first distillation column and in which, after water has been separated off, a top take-off is fed to a second distillation column, in which the essentially pure ethyl acetate is taken off via the bottom of the second distillation column and in which, after water has been separated off, the top take-off is recycled to the esterification reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.