PROCESS FOR THE DECOMPOSITION OF ALKYL TERT-ALKYL ETHERS TO OLEFINS AND ALCOHOLS

摘要

pDecompsn. of alkyl t-alkyl ethers (I) to produce the corresp. olefin and alcohol is effected by feeding (I) into a distn. column contg. a suitable decompsn. catalyst and continuously withdrawing the olefin overhead, the bottoms prod. being the alcohol or a mixt. of the alcohol and (I). The distn. column pref. has several trays, at least one of which is provided with a bed of catalyst, esp. a sulphonated styrene-divinylbenzene resin. (I) is introduced at a point above the catalyst-contg. tray(s). The heat required for the decompsn. reaction is provided by condensation of vapours ascending from lower trays. The process is esp. useful for producing isobutene and methanol from methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE). Effecting decompsn. in a distn. column minimises dimerisation of the olefin./p[IT1137526B]