Process of producing alcohol of improved odor from ether hydration

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ETHANOL FROM DIETHYL ETHER WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A FEED STREAM OF DIETHYL ETHER AND WATER UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES OVER A HYDRATION CATALYST AT TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF 350* TO 800*F., THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES DIVIDING SAID FEED STEAM INTO A FIRST PORTION AND A SECOND PORTION, PASSING SAID FIRST PORTION OVER SAID CATALYST AT SAID TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES IN A REACTION ZONE, RECOVERING FROM SAID REACTION ZONE A VAPOROUS CATALYTIC HYDRATION PRODUCT CONTAILNING ETHANOL, DIETHYL ETHER, WATER AND POLYMERIC HYDROCARBON IMPURITIES, COOLING SAID PRODUCT TO FORM AN ETHER-RICH PHASE AND AN ALCOHOL-RICH AQUEOUS PHASE CONTAINING TRACES OF SAIDD IMPRUITIES, SEPARATING SAID ALCOHOL-RICH PAHSE FROM SAID ETHER-RICH PHASE, ADMIXING SAIDD ALCOHOL-RICH AQUEOUS PHASE AND SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID FEED STREAM IN A RATIO OF ABOUT 10:1 TO 10:4 IN AN ETHER EXTRACTION ZONE, REMOVING AN ETHER EXTRACT FROM SAID EXTRACTION ZONE CONTAINING SAID TRACE IMPURITIES AND RECOVERING AN AQUEOUS ETHANOL BOTTOMS FROM SAID EXTRACTION ZONE ESSENTIALLY FREE OF SAID POLYMERIC HYDROCARBON IMPURITIES.