PROCESS FOR PREPARING ISOBUTYL ACETATE AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME

Production of butyl or isobutyl acetate, by esterification of acetic acid with butanol or isobutanol in presence of a solid acidic catalyst in a reaction zone with separation by distillation, and fractionation in upper and lower separation zones; the upper including azeotropic separation and recycle of non-aqueous portion, the lower to purify the product; and apparatus for the process. Production of butyl or isobutyl acetate by esterification of acetic acid with butanol or isobutanol in presence of a solid acidic catalyst, accompanied by separation of the components by distillation, comprising: introduction of acetic acid and butanol or isobutanol in a molar ratio between 1:1 and 1:10, at a feed rate of 0.1-10 hours-1 per unit volume of catalyst into a system, in which reaction and separation take place in 3 zones; the reaction running simultaneously with separation by distillation of the compounds with different boiling points in the reaction zone, while separation of the components by distillation takes place in upper and lower separation zones; namely, a volatile fraction is separated in the upper zone, which, after being cooled to 5-80 degrees C, splits into aqueous and organic phases, the latter being refluxed back to the reaction; the ratio of feed to refluxed organic phase being between 1:1 and 1:20; the reflux representing 60-100% of the whole amount of the separated organic phase for butyl acetate and 50-100% for isobutyl acetate manufacture; and butyl acetate or isobutyl acetate being withdrawn as a high boiling bottoms product; is new. An Independent claim is also included for the apparatus for carrying out each process, and which that for butyl acetate is shown in the figure. The parts are described in the Description of Drawings section. The apparatus for isobutyl acetate is similar, but without the shunt line (9) and valve (21).