The performance of an ETBE reactive distillation column was evaluated by using dynamic simulations under open-loop operation and one-point control schemes for controlling the ETBE purity. In multiloop process control, the choice of the control scheme can have a profound effect on the disturbance rejection properties so that some standard control schemes, namely, LV, DV, LB and (L/D)V, were investigated. It is shown that open-loop operation is not acceptable because no correction can be made so that the process objectives could not be satisfied. The disturbance rejection properties could be increased with a one-point control scheme. The LV scheme has the 'best' disturbance rejection properties among the control schemes studied for feed disturbances.