Patent name: WASTELESS ECONOMICAL METHOD TO PRODUCE PHENOL AND ACETONE

Patent Number: Patent No. 2125038

Priority: September 24, 1996

January 20, 1999

Phenol and acetone are produced by acid degradation of cumene hydroperoxide that is isolated from cumene oxidation products. Isolation is carried out by method of continuous or cyclic adsorption-desorption using adsorbents taken from a group: totally cation-substituted zeolites (size of an outlet window is 6A, not less); synthetic polymeric materials at macroporous or gel states and obtained by polymerization of amines, amides, acrylamides or polymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene; anionites at macroporous or gel states. Aromatic hydrocarbons-C₆-C₂₂, ketones-C₃-C₆, glycols-C₂-C₆, mixture of water and acetone or water are used as desorbents. Desorbents are separated and fed to recycle for adsorption-desorption stage. When cumene is used the latter is fed to adsorption/desorption stage or to cumene oxidation stage. Preferably, at stage of cumene hydroperoxide decomposition to use heterogeneous catalyst taken from a group: protonic and aprotonic acids on carriers; natural and synthetic aluminosilicate catalysts among them amorphous aluminosilicates and crystalline aluminosilicates (zeolites). Preferably, dimethylphenylcarbinol isolated from cumene oxidation products to feed on stage of catalytic hydrodehydration and its conversion to cumene and the latter is recycled to stage of its oxidation to cumene hydroperoxide on heterogeneous catalyst at 70-300°C under pressure 5-40 atm. Result is simplified technology, decreased energy consumption, increased yield of phenol, decreased formation of by-side products.