Abstract:
Disclosed are processes for making such cyclohexanone compositions from a mixture comprising phenol, cyclohexanone, and cyclohexylbenzene. Such cyclohexanone compositions comprise at least 99 wt % cyclohexanone, at most 0.15 wt % water, and at most 500 wppm combined of certain cyclohexanone impurities selected from the group consisting of: benzene, cyclohexene, pentanal, cyclopentanol, cyclohexanol, and phenol.
Abstract:
A method and a system for inexpensively producing a corresponding target ketone and/or alcohol by decomposing hydroperoxide rapidly and with high selectivity using an aqueous alkaline solution and by recovering and recycling alkali. The method includes neutralizing at least a part of a carboxylic acid in the oxidation reaction solution by contacting the oxidation reaction solution with a first alkaline solution including a carbonate of an alkali metal, and separating the reaction mixture into a first oil phase and a first water phase; decomposing the hydroperoxide and the ester compound in the first oil phase by contacting the first oil phase with a second alkaline solution having a higher pH value than the first alkaline solution, and separating the reaction mixture into a second oil phase and a second water phase; and recovering the carbonate of an alkali metal from the first water phase and recycling the carbonate of an alkali metal to the first alkaline solution.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method for recovering phenol and acetone from the cracking reaction product of bisphenol-A residue, by which economic feasibility and efficiency may be improved by utilizing a phenol/acetone purification process used for preparing bisphenol-A.
Abstract:
An apparatus for oxidation of a C8-C12 alkylbenzene reactant to a C8-C12 alkylbenzene hydroperoxide product, the re-actor can comprise: a flow reactor comprising a reactant inlet, an oxidate product outlet, wherein the reactor is configured to provide a liquid flow from the reactant inlet to the product outlet, a gas inlet configured to introduce an oxygen-containing gas into the reactor and an inlet sparger configured to flow gas bubbles comprising the oxygen-containing gas within the liquid flow, and wherein: the inlet sparger is configured to flow the gas bubbles having a diameter of 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm over a gas bubble residence time from 1 to 200 seconds, and/or the inlet sparger configured to flow the gas bubbles such that greater than or equal to 80% of the gas bubbles do not coalesce into larger bubbles over a gas bubble residence time of 1 to 200 seconds.
Abstract:
A process for making phenol and/or cyclohexanone, the process comprising: (A) oxidizing a cyclohexylbenzene feed to obtain an oxidation product comprising cyclohexylbenzene, cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and water; (B) removing at least a portion of the water from at least a portion of the oxidation product to obtain a cleavage feed; and (C) contacting at least a portion of the cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide in the cleavage feed with an acid catalyst in a cleavage reactor under cleavage conditions to obtain a cleavage product comprising phenol and cyclohexanone. The removing step may also comprises a step of removing a portion of the cyclohexylbenzene contained in the oxidation product. Water removal may be advantageously conducted in a water flashing drum before a cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide concentrator.
Abstract:
An improved method for the production of phenol. The method comprises (a) synthesizing phenol through a process that utilizes an acidic catalyst; (b) neutralizing the acidic catalyst after substantial completion of step (a) by addition thereto of a neutralization composition, wherein the neutralization composition contains an ethyleneamine derivative.
Abstract:
Disclosed is (i) a process of making phenol and/or cyclohexanone from cyclohexylbenzene including a step of removing methylcyclopentylbenzene from (a) the cyclohexylbenzene feed supplied to the oxidation step and/or (b) the crude phenol product (ii) a phenol composition and (iii) a cyclohexylbenzene composition that can be made using the process.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a new catalytic composition for the alkylation of aromatic compounds with alcohols, or mixtures of alcohols and corresponding olefins, wherein said composition comprises a zeolite of the MTW type and is characterized in that it contains one or more alkaline metals in a total quantity which is less than or equal to 0.02% by weight. The use of said catalyst in the alkylation of aromatic compounds with alcohols, in particular benzene with isopropanol or ethanol, allows the formation, as by-product, of the aldehyde or ketone corresponding to the alcohol used, to be minimized: the formation of reaction by-products of said aldehydes or ketones having a boiling point very close to that of polyalkylation products, is therefore significantly reduced. This provides a considerable advantage in the subsequent transalkylation step for the recovery of said polyalkylates by transformation into the corresponding monoalkylates.
Abstract:
In a process for producing phenol, cyclohexylbenzene is contacted with an oxygen-containing compound in the presence of an oxidation catalyst comprising a cyclic imide under oxidation conditions effective to produce a product comprising cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and unreacted cyclic imide catalyst. Without removing all the unreacted cyclic imide catalyst, at least a portion of the product is contacted with an acidic molecular sieve under conditions effective to adsorb at least a portion of the unreacted cyclic imide and to convert at least part of the cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide in the product portion into phenol and cyclohexanone.
Abstract:
A method to determine the strength of an acid in a medium is disclosed. The method includes (I) providing multiple samples comprising trimethylphosphine oxide (TMPO), the acid, and the medium, wherein the multiple samples have different [H+]/[TMPO] ratios, [H+] is the concentration of hydrons in the sample in mole·liter−1, and [TMPO] is the concentration of TMPO in the sample in mole·liter−1. (II) The 31P chemical shifts of the multiple samples are measured by 31P NMR and compared to standardized samples to determine the acid strength of the medium.