Separation and purification of alcohols by extractive distillation

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF SEPARATING AND RECOVERING NPROPANOL N-BUTANOL AND CLOSE-BOILING NON-ALCOHOLIC SATURATED UNSUBSTITUTED NEUTRAL OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS FROM MIXTURES THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES, INTRODUCING THE MIXTURE INTO A FIRST FRACTIONATION ZONE WHEREIN VAPORS OF THE ALCOHOLS AND OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS ASCEND COUNTER-CURRENTLY TO A LIQUID REFLUX OF SAID VAPORS DISSOLVED IN 95 TO 99 MOL PERCENT OF WATER TO EFFECT A HIGHER VAPORIZATION OF THE N-BUTANOL AND OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS THAN OF N-PROPANOL, REMOVING A SOLUTION OF N-PROPANOL IN WATER FROM A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE FIRST FRACTIONATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING N-BUTANOL, THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND WATER AS OVERHEAD FROM THE FIRST FRACTIONATION ZONE, INTRODUCING THE N-BUTANOL, OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND WATER INTO A SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE WHEREIN VAPORS OF THE N-BUTANOL, OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND WATER ASCEND COUNTERCURRENTLY TO A LIQUID REFLUX OF SAID VAPORS DISSOLVED IN 70 TO 99 VOLUME PERCENT OF A LIQUID HYDROCARBON SOLVENT WHICH DOES NOT AZEOTROPICALLY DISTILL TO ANY APPRECIABLE EXTENT FROM THE SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE TO EFFECT A HIGHER VAPORIZATION OF THE N-BUTANOL AND WATER THAN OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS, RECOVERING N-BUTANOL AND WATER AS OVERHEAD FROM THE SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE, AND RECOVERING A SOLUTION OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND HYDROCARBON SOLVENT IN SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS CONDITION FROM A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF SEPARATING AND RECOVERING NPROPANOL N-BUTANOL AND CLOSE-BOILING NON-ALCOHOLIC SATURATED UNSUBSTITUTED NEUTRAL OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS FROM MIXTURES THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES, INTRODUCING THE MIXTURE INTO A FIRST FRACTIONATION ZONE WHEREIN VAPORS OF THE ALCOHOLS AND OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS ASCEND COUNTER-CURRENTLY TO A LIQUID REFLUX OF SAID VAPORS DISSOLVED IN 95 TO 99 MOL PERCENT OF WATER TO EFFECT A HIGHER VAPORIZATION OF THE N-BUTANOL AND OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS THAN OF N-PROPANOL, REMOVING A SOLUTION OF N-PROPANOL IN WATER FROM A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE FIRST FRACTIONATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING N-BUTANOL, THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND WATER AS OVERHEAD FROM THE FIRST FRACTIONATION ZONE, INTRODUCING THE N-BUTANOL, OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND WATER INTO A SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE WHEREIN VAPORS OF THE N-BUTANOL, OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND WATER ASCEND COUNTERCURRENTLY TO A LIQUID REFLUX OF SAID VAPORS DISSOLVED IN 70 TO 99 VOLUME PERCENT OF A LIQUID HYDROCARBON SOLVENT WHICH DOES NOT AZEOTROPICALLY DISTILL TO ANY APPRECIABLE EXTENT FROM THE SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE TO EFFECT A HIGHER VAPORIZATION OF THE N-BUTANOL AND WATER THAN OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS, RECOVERING N-BUTANOL AND WATER AS OVERHEAD FROM THE SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE, AND RECOVERING A SOLUTION OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND HYDROCARBON SOLVENT IN SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS CONDITION FROM A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE SECOND FRACTIONATION ZONE.