Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation

Vivek Julka

Fungau Ho

Crude butyl acrylate streams, e.g., from the reaction of butanol and acrylic acid, are refined using a splitter distillation column to yield a butyl acrylate- and heavies-containing bottoms fraction and an overhead fraction containing dibutyl ether, butyl acetate, butanol and butyl acrylate. The bottoms fraction is then subjected to separation, e.g., by distillation, to separate heavies from the bottoms fractions and to recover butyl acrylate. A process for the production of butyl acrylate is also disclosed, which process comprises not only the above-mentioned refining steps but also includes the steps of withdrawing from the splitter distillation column the overhead fraction and distilling the overhead fraction to recover a bottoms stream containing butanol and butyl acrylate, at least a portion of which could be recycled for reaction with acrylic acid to make butyl acrylate, and recovering the separated heavies, at least a portion of which could be recycled to a reaction zone for the production of butyl acrylate. At least 10,000 lb(avoir) quantities of a butyl acrylate product comprising at least 99.8 wt % butyl acrylate and containing not more than about 200 ppm butyl ether and not more than about 200 ppm butyl acetate are producible.

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Dunbar, WV, United States of America

Vivek Julka