Chemical Research & Licensing Company

Amarjit Bakshi

Edward M Jones, Jr

Bobby A Strain

A process is provided for selective etherification of iC.sub.4 =with EtOH to form ETBE in a distillation column reactor containing a fixed bed acid cation exchange resin as a catalytic distillation structure in a reaction distillation zone combined with a straight pass fixed bed reactor. A C.sub.4 feed containing isobutene is mixed with the total liquid downflow from the catalytic distillation reactor and passed to a straight pass fixed bed reactor, where up to about 85% of the isobutene is reacted with ethanol in the distillation column reactor effluent. This stream is returned to the distillation column reactor at a point below where the liquid downflow is withdrawn and then fractionated on conventional trays to remove ETBE as a bottom product. The remainder of the feed from the straight pass fixed bed reactor is vaporized into the reaction distillation zone of the distillation column reactor, where the unreacted isobutene is reacted with down coming ethanol fed at the upper end of the reaction distillation zone. Any water in the ethanol feed is stripped out and carried out the distillation column reactor with the unreacted C.sub.4 's.

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The Hague, Netherlands

Amarjit Bakshi