US 7,553,397 B1Granted

Process

AssigneeDavy Process Technology Limited

InventorsStephen William Colley, Christopher Richard Fawcett, Mohammad Sharif, Michael William Marshall Tuck, David John Watson, Michael Anthony Wood

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Abstract

A process is described for the recovery of substantially pure ethyl acetate from a feedstock including ethyl acetate, ethanol and water. The process includes supplying the feedstock to a first distillation zone maintained under first distillation conditions effective for distilling from the feedstock a first distillate including ethyl acetate, ethanol, and less than about 10 mol % water. The first distillate is recovered from the first distillation zone and is supplied to a second distillation zone maintained under second distillation conditions, which include use of a higher pressure than that of the first distillation zone. The second distillation conditions are effective for distilling from the first distillate a second distillate including ethanol, water, and a minor proportion of ethyl acetate and yielding a substantially pure ethyl acetate bottom product, which is recovered. The second distillate is returned to the first distillation zone.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A process for the recovery of purified ethyl acetate from a feedstock comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water which comprises:

(a) operating a first distillation zone of a pressure-swing distillation system maintained under distillation conditions which include use of a first distillation pressure, which are effective for distillation from a mixture comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water of a first distillate comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol, and not more than 10 mol % water, and which yield an ethanol rich bottom product comprising ethanol and water;
(b) operating a second distillation zone of the pressure-swing distillation system maintained under distillation conditions which include use of a second distillation pressure higher than the first distillation pressure, which are effective for distillation from a mixture comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water of a second distillate comprising ethanol, water, and a minor proportion of ethyl acetate, and which yield a purified ethyl acetate bottom product;
(c) supplying to a zone selected from the first distillation zone and the second distillation zone a feedstock comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol and water;
(d) recovering a first distillate comprising ethyl acetate, ethanol, and not more than about 10 mol % water from the first distillation zone;
(e) supplying material of the first distillate to the second distillation zone;
(f) recovering an ethanol rich bottom product comprising ethanol and water from the first distillation zone;
(g) recovering a purified ethyl acetate bottom product from the second distillation zone;
(h) recovering a second distillate comprising about 68 mol % ethanol, about 6 mol % water, about 25 mol % ethyl acetate and about 1 mol % other components from the second distillation zone;
and
(i) recycling material of the second distillate of step (h) to the first distillation zone.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.