METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR CONCENTRATING AND PURIFYING ALCOHOL

摘要

PURPOSE:To enhance degree of concentration of alcohol and to concentrate and recover alcohol with a small amount of solvent by holding the butane solvent in a supercritical state or a pseudocritical state in the part lower than a supply port of a raw material and holding the butane solvent in a liquid state in the part upper than the supply port of the raw material. CONSTITUTION:Solubility of alcohol in butane is drastically enhanced by holding a butane solvent in a recovery part 7 in a supercritical state or a pseudocritical state. The usage of the butane solvent necessary to prevent loss of alcohol through a heavy liquid extracting line 4 can be drastically lowered. Then water is selectively separated form the butane solvent phase by cooling this butane solvent phase with a heat exchanger 8 for cooling in the alcohol concentrating part 6. This concentrating part 6 is lowered as heavy liquid and alcohol in the butane solvent phase is concentrated to about 95-97wt.% (state free from butane).