Drying ethanol with triethylene glycol

An industrial method for dehydrating ethanol synthetic by extractive rectification using triethylene glycol as the separation agent is described. In a continuously operating packed column (height 19 m, diameter 1 m, packed with 15 x 15 mm rings to a height of about 12 m) 98 to 99 percent ethanol is produced with an alcohol input of 750 to 950 kg/h and triethylene glycol feed rate of 1200 to 1300 kg/h. The triethylene glycol is recovered batchwise.