Jeannie Mee Blommel - Oregon WI, US Charles P. Luebke - Mount Prospect IL, US
Assignee:
UOP LLC - Des Plaines IL
International Classification:
C07C 41/42 C07C 43/04
US Classification:
568697
Abstract:
Embodiments of methods for producing ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) are provided herein. A method for producing ETBE comprises the steps of contacting a Colefin-rich stream that contains isobutene with a first catalyst in the presence of ethanol at etherification conditions effective to form a reaction effluent comprising ETBE and residual ethanol. The reaction effluent is combined with a Cparaffin-rich stream that contains isopentane to form a combined stream. The combined stream is fractionated at distillation conditions effective to produce an ETBE-rich product stream. Fractionating the combined stream comprises forming a light boiling azeotrope of ethanol with isopentane to remove at least a portion of the residual ethanol from the combined stream.