Process for the recovery of methanol from the hydrolysis products of methyl acetate

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF METHANOL FROM THE PRODUCT OF THE ACIDIC METHYL ACETATE HYDROLYSIS COMPRISING HEATING A HYDROLYSIS MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF METHYL ACETATE, WATER, AND AN ACIDIC NON-VOLATILE CATALYST TO BOILING, THEREBY PARTIALLY HYDROLYZING SAID METHYL ACETATE TO METHANOL AND ACETIC ACID, ADDING TO SAID BOILING MIXTURE AT LEAST ONE ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON HAVING A BOILING POINT OF ABOUT 10 TO 90*C., DISTILLING OFF IN A DISTILLATION ZONE A QUATERNARY AZEOTROPE OF METHANOL METHYL ACETATE, WATER, AND SAID HYDROCARBON, WHICH AZEOTROPE HAS A CONSTANT BOILING POINT, CONDENSING THE DISTILLATE IN TWO SEPARATE LAYERS, THE UPPER LAYER CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SAID HYDROCARBON, THE LOWER LAYER CONTAINING THE MAJOR PORTION OF WATER AND THE FORMED METHANOL, SEPARATING SAID LAYERS, AND DISTILLING OFF METHANOL FROM THE LOWER LAYER.