The invention relates to a process for preparing
cyclopentanol with
cyclopentene. The process includes the following steps: (1) mixing the
cyclopentene with
acetic acid, then subjecting the
liquid phase to esterification through a catalyst
bed formed by sulfonic group cation exchange resins so that the the
cyclopentene and the
acetic acid can be converted into cyclopentyl acetic ester with the
molar ratio of the
acetic acid and the cyclopentene being (2-5):1, the
space velocity being from 1 to 3 hr-1, the
reaction temperature being between 50 DEG C and 80 DEG C, and the reaction pressure being from 0.1 to 0.5 MPa; (2) subjecting the reaction liquid to rectification in a
fractionating column with a
theoretical plate being 25, recycling the unreacted cyclopentene and acetic acid from the top of the
fractionating column, and directly using crude cyclopentyl acetic ester obtained from a column reactor as ester-exchange raw materials; (3) mixing the crude cyclopentyl acetic ester with methyl
alcohol, subjecting the mixture to
transesterification through a catalyst
bed formed by granular
calcium oxide (CaO) and finally obtaining the
cyclopentanol. Compared with processes in prior art, the process for preparing the
cyclopentanol with the cyclopentene enables the reaction conversion ratio and selectivity to be improved obviously, the process is obviously simplified, and the defects of the equipment
corrosion and the environment
pollution which are caused by using
sulfuric acid in the indirect hydration
processing of the
cyclopentane are overcome.