Combination extraction and distillation process

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A PURE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PYRIDINE PROPANOL AND METHYLETHYLKETONE FROM A CONSTANT BOILING SOLUTION THEREOF WITH WATER WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (1) PREMIXING, IN A SEPARATORY VESSEL SAID SOLUTION WITH AN ENTRAINER COMPRISING A HYDROCARBON OF FROM 5 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS WHICH FORMS WITH WATER AN AZEOTROPE HAVING A BOILING POINT LOWER THAN THE BOILING POINT OF THE BINARY AZEOTROPE OF SAID COMPOUND AND WATER: (2) WITHDRAWING AN ENTRAINER-RICH PHASE COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY ENTRAINER AND SAID COMPOUND AND AN AQUEOUS PHASE COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY WATER AND SAID COMPOUND; (3) PASSING SAID ENTRAINER-RICH PHASE TO A FIRST DISTILLATION ZONE; (4) AZEOTROPICALLY DISTILLING SAID ENTRAINER-RICH PHASE WHEREBY THERE IS OBTAINED AN OVERHEAD COPRISING WATER, ENTRAINER AND SAID COMPOUND AND A BOTTOMS COMPRISING SAID PURE COMPOUND; (5) COLLECTING SAID OVERHEAD IN A DECANTER AND ALLOWING SAID OVERHEAD TO SETTLE THEREBY OBTAINING AN ENTRAINER-RICH LAYER COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY ENTRAINER AND SAID COMPOUND AND AN AQUEOUS LAYER COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY WATER AND SAID COMPOUND; (6) RECYCLING THE ENTRAINER-RICH LAYER TO SAID FIRST STEP; (7) PASSING SAID AQUEOUS LAYER AND SAID AQUEOUS PHASE TO A SECOND DISTILLATION ZONE; (8) REMOVING FROM SAID SECOND DISTILLATION ZONE A BOTTOMS COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY WATER AND AN OVERHEAD COMPRISING AN AZEOTROPIC MIXTURE OF WATER AND SAID COMPOUND; AND (9) RECYCLING SAID LAST NAMED OVERHEAD TO SAID PREMIXING STEP.