To provide a method for efficiently separating and recovering each component by a simple method from a mixture of ethylene glycol and dimethyl terephthalate.
A mixture of ethylene glycol and dimethyl terephthalate is sequentially passed through the following steps (A) to (E) to separate and recover each component: (A) a step for feeding the mixture to a first distillation column having 27-100 kPa pressure; (B) a step for taking out an azeotropic mixture by the first distillation operation and, on the other hand, taking out the dimethyl terephthalate as a residue; (C) a step for feeding the azeotropic mixture taken out at the step B to a second distillation column having a pressure of ≥6.7 kPa and less than the pressure of the first distillation column; (D) a step for taking out the azeotropic mixture by the second distillation operation, and, on the other hand, taking out the ethylene glycol as a residue, and (E) a step for recycling the azeotropic mixture taken out at the step D to the first distillation column.
ISHIHARA KENICHI
HASEGAWA HIDEO
