ESTERIFICATION PROCESS OF ACETIC ACID BY C2 TO C5 ALCOHOLS

1. Process for the esterification of acetic acid with C2 -C5 -alcohols in the presence of an acid catalyst, wherein the esterification is carried out in a vertical reactor in conjunction with a distillation column into which the reaction mixture leaving the reactor is introduced, the ester formed, and the water, being taken off as an azeotropic mixture via the top of the column and the azeotropic mixture being separated, if appropriate, into an organic phase and an aqueous phase, characterised in that the catalyst used is a strongly acidic ion exchanger and that the reflux ratio of the azeotropic mixture is set to 0.5-20 or the reflux ratio of the organic phase is set to 0-20, based on the amount of ester formed, and the reflux ratio of the aqueous phase is set to 0-20, based on the amount of water formed, and that the unconverted acetic acid and the unconverted C2 -C5 -alcohol are continuously taken off, as vapour, from the bottom and are reintroduced into the esterification reactor together with supplementary amounts of acetic acid and of C2 -C5 -alcohol corresponding to the amount of ester taken off at the top.