A process of manufacture of polytrimethylene ether glycol comprising:(a)
polycondensing reactant comprising diol selected from the group
consisting of 1,3-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol dimer and 1,3-propanediol
trimer or mixtures thereof in the presence of acid polycondensation
catalyst to form polytrimethylene ether glycol;(b) adding water to the
polytrimethylene ether glycol and hydrolyzing the acid esters formed
during the polycondensation to form a hydrolyzed mixture containing the
polytrimethylene ether glycol and the hydrolyzed acid esters;(c) adding
organic solvent that is miscible with water to the hydrolyzed mixture to
form an aqueous-organic mixture comprising (i) organic phase containing
polytrimethylene ether glycol and residual acid polycondensation catalyst
from the polycondensing and (ii) water phase;(d) separating the water
phase and the organic phase;(e) adding base to the separated organic
phase to neutralize the residual acid polycondensation catalyst by
forming salts of the residual acid polycondensation catalyst;(f)
separating the organic phase into (i) liquid phase comprising the
polytrimethylene ether glycol, the organic solvent and any residual
water, and (ii) solid phase comprising the salts of the residual acid
polycondensation catalyst and the base which is unreacted; and(g)
removing the organic solvent and the residual water from the organic
phase to obtain polytrimethylene ether glycol.