346. CATTERALL, W. E. (Standard Oil Development Co.). Dehydration of Alcohols by Gasoline Extractive Distillation. United States Patent 2,591,672, Apr. 8, 1952. Chem. Abs., vol. 46, 1952. p. 11225.

Patent Abstracts

Alcohols are dehydrated by extractive distillation using, as the solvent, all or a fraction of the gasoline into which it is desired to blend the alcohol. Mixtures of hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds are produced by a variety of reactions, such as low-temperature carbonization of coal or peat; destructive hydrogenation of coals, wood, and shales: the MeOH synthesis; the Oxo process in which olefins are caused to react in the presence of CO and H₂; oxidation processes, such as oxidation of propane and other petroleum fractions; and the hydrocarbon synthesis operation. The gasoline used may be gasoline made in the hydrocarbon synthesis, the polymer gasoline recovered form the polymerization process, benzene, or any gasoline or gasoline fraction produced extraneously by catalytic cracking, thermal cracking, and alkylation. The hydrocarbon extractive-distillation solvent added to the top of the tower and descending as reflux has very little capacity to absorb wither H₂O or lighter alcohol from the acending vapor and, therefore, to avoid excessive carryover of alcohol into the overhead, the amount of vapor ascending the tower should be held close to the minimum necessary to assure complete removal of H₂O from the bottoms.

See abs. 314, 2213.