2-methyl-2-butene production using positional isomerization catalyzed by sulfonic acid cation exchangers

Economically efficient 2-methyl-2-butene production is an essential element of the promising isoprene manufacturing process using 2-methyl-2-butene epoxidation and the dehydration of the resulting epoxide. An efficient way of producing 2-methyl-2-butene is isopentane dehydrogenation followed by 2-methyl-2-butene recovery from the resulting C5 fraction by liquid-phase isomerization (preferably on sulfonic acid cation exchangers) and distillation.