Process for treating methyl acetate

Claim 1

A PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES PARTIALLY HYDROLYZING UNDER PRESSURE METHYL ACETATE IN THE PRESENCE OF A STRONG MINERAL ACID, AT A TEMPERATURE APPROXIMATING, BUT BELOW, THE BOILING POINT OF THE MIXTURE AT THE PRESSURE EMPLOYED, TO PRODUCE A MIXTURE OF METHYL ACETATE, ACETIC ACID, METHYL ALCOHOL AND AQUEOUS MINERAL ACID, SUBJECTING THE LAST-NAMED MIXTURE AS SUCH TO DISTILLATION AND REFLUXING, TO SEPARATE AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE OF METHYL ACETATE AND METHYL ALCOHOL FROM THE OTHER INGREDIENTS, SUBJECTING SAID AQUEOUS MIXTURE TO EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION IN A DISTILLING COLUMN WITH WATER FED TO THE TOP SECTION OF THE COLUMN TO SCRUB THE VAPORS AND SEPARATE METHYL ALCOHOL FROM METHYL ACETATE, DISTILLING METHYL ALCOHOL TO SEPARATE IT FROM WATER, EXTRACTING THE AQUEOUS ACETIC ACID WITH A SOLVENT SERVING AS A WATER-ENTRAINER AND COMPRISING METHYL ACETATE, DISTILLING THE ACETIC ACID SO EXTRACTED TO CONCENTRATE AND DEHYDRATE SAME, AND RECYCLING THE AQUEOUS MINERAL ACID TO THE HYDROLYZING STEP.