Petro-Tex Chemical Corporation

William G Bowman

Robert P Arganbright

William P Stadig

Stone D Cooley

James D Henery

An improved process for the preparation of isobutene dimer comprising passing isobutene and a controlled amount of t-butanol and/or water (water reacts with isobutene under the conditions of the reaction to form t-butanol) through a fixed bed acidic cation exchange resin, producing only a hydrocarbon phase, removing the hydrocarbon phase, splitting the hydrocarbon phase, and recycling a portion thereof to the reaction. The recycle provides the means to control the temperature of the reaction by cooling the recycle and providing a heat sink. The controlled amount of t-butanol and/or water suppresses or inhibits the production of isobutene high polymers, e.g., trimers, tetramers and codimers (butene is also a common component of available C.sub.4 feed streams).

Dimerization of isobutene

An improved process for the preparation of tertiary butyl alcohol comprising passing isobutene and water in a molar ratio of water to isobutene in the range of 0.06 to 0.24 : 1 or preferably less than 0.2 : 1 through a fixed bed acidic cation exchange resin, producing only a hydrocarbon phase, removing the hydrocarbon phase, splitting the hydrocarbon phase, and recycling a portion thereof to the reaction. The recycle provides the means to control the temperature of the reaction by cooling the recycle, and suppresses or inhibits the production of isobutene polymers.

Fixed bed process for the production of t-butanol

An improved process is disclosed wherein 1,4-butanediol is produced from a maleic acid-containing solution in a multistep process comprising esterification of maleic acid at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of a monohydric alcohol to form dialky esters of maleic acid, hydrogenation of the dialkyl esters to 1,4-butanediol in a two-step hydrogenation process, recovery of the 1,4-butanediol substantially free from other close boiling contaminants in an extraction zone and recovering 1,4-butanediol in high purity from a distillation zone operated at reduced pressure.

Production of 1,4-butanediol

An improved process is disclosed for recovering 1,4-butanediol in high purity from a mixture comprising 1,4-butanediol in admixture with minor amounts of certain impurities which comprises diluting the 1,4-butanediol-containing mixture with water to form an aqueous mixture having from about 5 to about 75 wt. % water and contacting said aqueous mixture in an extraction zone with a hydrocarbon extractant. An aqueous 1,4-butanediol-containing raffinate is obtained as the bottoms product of the extraction zone and is introduced into a distillation zone operated at reduced pressure from which substantially pure 1,4-butanediol is recovered.

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Pasadena, TX, United States of America

William G Bowman