| 摘要 |
A process for the generation of diisopropyl ether from a crude by-product acetone stream comprises the steps of: a) hydrogenating a crude acetone stream over a bulk-metal, nickel-rich catalyst to give an isopropanol-rich intermediate, and b) dehydrating said isopropanol-rich intermediate in the presence of strong acid zeolite catalyst to yield diisopropyl ether. Preferably, the strong acid zeolite catalyst used in the second step is selected from the group consisting of beta -zeolite, optionally modified with one or more metals from Group IB, VB, VIB, VIIB and VIII of the Periodic Table, and a dealuminised Y-zeolite. The disclosed method may also be used for the co-generation of diisopropyl ether with methyl t-butyl ether if the crude acetone stream contains, in addition, significant quantities of methanol and t-butanol. |
