NOVEL INTEGRATED SEPARATION METHOD FOR DI-ISOPROPYL ETHER AND METHYL TERTIARY ALKYL ETHER PROCESSES

摘要

The process for manufacturing tertiary alkyl ethers such as MTBE, TAME and isopropyl tertiary alkyl ether and that for manufacturing di-isopropyl ether (DIPE) are integrated into an overall process to produce high octane gasoline rich in these ethers. The integration is preferably achieved in a combined separation step where the effluents from both etherification processes are fed to a water wash tower for separation into an organic phase containing C3+ hydrocarbons and oxygenates including C4+ ethers and an aqueous phase which contains methanol and isopropanol. The aqueous phase is recycled to the DIPE etherification zone while the organic phase is debutanized to produce a bottom stream comprising high octane gasoline rich ethers and an overhead stream comprising C4- hydrocarbons. The water wash step allows large excess quantities of methanol to be used in the MTBE etherification step without recycle. The invention advantageously employs a common water washing step and common debutanizing step in the manufacture of tertiary alkyl ethers and DIPE.