Recovery of pure ethanol from hydrocarbon synthesis product

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SPIRIT GRADE ETHANOL FROM AN AQUEOUS FRACTION PRODUCED IN HYDROCARBON SYNTHESIS INVOLVING THE REDUCTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE WITH HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A FLUIDIZED IRON CATALYST, SAID FRACTION BOILING FROM ABOUT 118* TO ABOUT 215* F. AND INCLUDING BUTYRALDEHYDE, ETHANOL, METHYL ETHYL KETONE AND METHANOL, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE INTRODUCING SAID FRACTION AT AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL IN A DISTILLATION COLUMN HAVING A STRIPPING ZONE ND A RECTIFICATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM A POINT IN SAID COLUMN RANGING FROM ABOUT 10 PLATES ABOVE TO APPROXIMATELY 15 PLATES BELOW SAID INTERMEDIATE LEVEL, THE QUANTITY OF SAID LIQUID WITHDRAWN AMOUNTING TO NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 10 PER CENT OF SAID AQUEOUS FRACTION, RETURNING SAID LIQUID TO SAID RECTIFICATION ZONE ABOVE THE LEVEL AT WHICH SAID LIQUID WAS WITHDRAWN, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE COLUMN AT THE LEVEL WHERE SAID LIQUID IS RETURNED THERETO AT A VALUE OF FROM ABOUT 144* TO ABOUT 150* F., AND WITHDRAWING A BOTTOMS FRACTION CONTAINING ETHANOL SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF METHANOL.