Abstract: A tertiary butyl alcohol charge stock contaminated with from about 0.5 to about 2 wt. % of corrosive oxygen-containing impurities, including peroxides and formates, is passed through an oxygenates decomposition reactor containing a bed of a basic zeolite catalyst to decompose the peroxides and oxygen-containing impurities, including peroxides and formates, and to dehydrate a portion of the tertiary butyl alcohol to form isobutylene and water to form a substantially less-corrosive tertiary butyl alcohol feedstock that is substantially free from oxygen-containing impurities, including formates that is suitable for reaction with methanol in a methyl tertiary butyl ether etherification reactor to form a methyl tertiary butyl ether etherification reaction product from which methyl tertiary butyl ether can be recovered.

Abstract: Methyl tertiary butyl ether is prepared from TBA contaminated with oxygen-containing impurities by decomposing the impurities to gaseous products, by charging the thus-treated tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol to an etherification reactor to form an etherification reaction product, by distilling the etherification reaction product to provide a lower boiling fraction containing isobutylene, methanol and methyl tertiary butyl ether by charging the lower boiling fraction to a finishing reactor to react the isobutylene and methanol contained therein to from additional MTBE and by recovering MTBE from the etherification reaction product and the isobutylene conversion product.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for decomposing formate esters, free acids and peroxides in a tertiary butyl alcohol stream to produce noncondensible gas products which comprises reacting said tertiary butyl alcohol stream or a methyl tertiary butyl alcohol stream containing formate esters over a catalyst comprising a non-noble Group VIII metal and a metal of Group IB on a support comprising an inert composition mixed with a hydrotalcite-like composition.