Badger Licensing LLC

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Stone & Webster, Inc.

Basf Catalysts LLC

Chung-Ming Chi

Brian Maerz

Michael C Clark

Maruti Bhandarkar

Vijay Nanda

Steven D Evitt

David P Palmer

Stephen W Fetsko

Matthew J Vincent

Shyh-Yuan Henry Hwang

Joseph C Peters

Dana E Johnson

Kevin J Fallon

Frank Demers

Carlos N Lopez

Richard F Guarino

Shyh-Yuan Hwang

Marshall Stephen Lee

Waheed Mukaddam

Francis A Demers

Henry Hwang

Raghavender Bhoomi

Maruti Bhandakar

Marius Vaarkamp

Hubertus Adrianus Duijndam

Maruti Vk Balur Bhandarkar

Marshall S Lee

A process for producing ethylbenzene is described in which benzene and ethylene are supplied to an alkylation reaction zone. Also added to the alkylation reaction zone is a Colefin in an amount of at least 200 ppm by weight of the ethylene supplied to the alkylation reaction zone. The benzene, ethylene and Colefin are contacted with an alkylation catalyst in the alkylation reaction zone to alkylate at least part of the benzene and produce an alkylation effluent comprising ethylbenzene, polyethylated benzene and at least one mono-Calkyl benzene. The alkylation effluent is separated into a first product fraction comprising ethylbenzene and a second fraction comprising polyethylated benzene and the at least one mono-Calkyl benzene. The second fraction is then contacted with benzene in the presence of a transalkylation catalyst to convert at least part of the polyethylated benzene to ethylbenzene and produce a transalkylation effluent.

Process for producing ethylbenzene

In a method of treating a residue stream from the production of bisphenol-A, the residue stream is contacted with an aqueous solution of a base under conditions effective to hydrolyze at least part of said residue stream into acetone and phenol and produce an effluent stream. Acetone is recovered from the effluent stream to produce a phenol-containing mixed phase stream which is substantially free of acetone and which contains water and unhydrolyzed heavy organic compounds. The phenol-containing mixed phase stream is then treated with a water-immiscible organic solvent to extract phenol and unhydrolyzed heavy organic compounds into said solvent and produce an organic phase containing the solvent, phenol and unhydrolyzed heavy aromatic compounds and an aqueous phase with reduced concentrations of phenol and unhydrolyzed heavy organic compounds. At least part of the phenol and the organic solvent are subsequently recovered from the organic phase.

Treatment of bisphenol-A residue streams

A process is described for producing cumene comprising contacting a feed stream comprising benzene and a further feed stream comprising isopropanol or a mixture of isopropanol and propylene in the presence of an alkylation catalyst comprising at least a molecular sieve of the MCM-22, family in an alkylation zone under alkylation conditions of at least partial liquid phase and with a water concentration in the liquid phase of at least 50 ppm to react at least part of said isopropanol and benzene to produce an effluent stream containing cumene.

Process for producing cumene

In a method of recovering phenol and acetone from a feed stream containing bisphenol-A and isomers thereof, the feed stream is contacted with water and a source of hydroxyl ions under conditions effective to decompose at least part of said bisphenol-A and isomers thereof to phenol and acetone. The conditions include a temperature of about 150&#xb0; C. to about 300&#xb0; C., a pressure sufficient to keep the water substantially in the liquid phase at said temperature, and a molar ratio of hydroxyl ions to hydroxyphenyl groups in the residue stream from about 0.3:1 to about 0.9:1.

Recovery of phenol and acetone from bisphenol-A streams

An improved process is provided for producing bisphenol-A (BPA) comprising steps of (1) contacting benzene and a Calkylating agent to produce an alkylation effluent comprising cumene; (2) oxidizing the cumene to produce the corresponding hydroperoxide; (3) cleaving the hydroperoxide to produce product comprising phenol and acetone; (4) reacting acetone with phenol to form a reaction product stream comprising crude bisphenol-A product; (5) distilling the reaction product stream, while sending downstream to a BPA-phenol adduct crystallization and purification step, the resulting concentrated BPA phenolic feed stream; (6) producing BPA-phenol adduct crystals by crystallization of the concentrated BPA phenolic feed stream; (7) separating the BPA-phenol adduct crystals by solid-liquid separationr; (8) cracking a stream comprising at least a portion of said final mother liquor to recover a product; and (9) recovering and feeding the phenol product of step (8) to step (4) and/or step (7).

Bisphenol-A plant yield enhancement

An improved process for recovering phenol from a bisphenol-A residue stream by reconfiguring the distillation column and the cracking reactor in a way that separates the reboil/distillation heat load and the cracking heat load, so that separate heat sources are used.

Process for recovering phenol from a BPA waste stream

A process for producing an alkylated aromatic compound from polyalkylated aromatic compound(s) having bi-alkylated aromatic compound(s) and tri-alkylated aromatic compound(s), comprising the step of contacting alkylatable aromatic compound(s) with the polyalkylated aromatic compound(s) at a transalkylation condition in the presence of a transalkylation catalyst. The transalkylation catalyst has high activity sufficient to achieve a ratio of bi-alkylated aromatic compound(s) conversion over tri-alkylated aromatic compound(s) conversion in a range of from about 0.5 to about 2.5.

Process of using a high activity catalyst for the transalkylation of aromatics

A process is disclosed for producing an alkylaromatic compound in a multistage reaction system comprising at least first and second series-connected alkylation reaction zones, each containing an alkylation catalyst. A first feed comprising an alkylatable aromatic compound and a second feed comprising an alkene are introduced into the first alkylation reaction zone. The first and second alkylation reaction zones are operated under conditions of temperature and pressure effective to cause alkylation of the aromatic compound with the alkene in the presence of the alkylation catalyst, the temperature and pressure being such that the aromatic compound is at least partly in the liquid phase. The alkylation catalyst in the first alkylation reaction zone, which may be a reactor guard bed, has more acid sites per unit volume of catalyst than the alkylation catalyst in the second reaction zone.

Liquid phase alkylation with multiple catalysts

Improved integrated processes for the production of alkyl aromatic compounds are disclosed wherein aromatic compounds which may be treated for removal of deleterious substances are reacted with olefin compounds, which may also be treated for contaminant removal, in the presence of acidic zeolite catalyst(s) to produce the desired alkyl aromatic compound(s). The aromatic and preferably also the olefin feeds are treated substantially to remove contaminants, particularly the nitrogen compounds contained therein, before they are brought together for reaction in the presence of the zeolite catalyst(s). In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that feed pretreatment for removal of nitrogen compounds significantly improves the run length and life of the acidic zeolite catalyst(s). The feed pretreatment of this invention may include the steps of distillation, extraction, and/or adsorption by solid adsorbent, which may be regenerated in accordance with further embodiments of this invention.

Production of alkyl aromatic compounds

A process is described for producing an alkylaromatic compound, in which a first feed comprising an alkylatable aromatic compound and a second feed comprising an alkene are introduced into a first alkylation reaction zone comprising a first alkylation catalyst. The first alkylation reaction zone is operated under conditions effective to cause alkylation of the alkylatable aromatic compound by the alkene to produce said alkylaromatic compound, the conditions being such that the alkylatable aromatic compound is at least predominantly in the vapor phase. A first effluent comprising the alkylaromatic compound and unreacted alkylatable aromatic compound is withdrawn from the first alkylation reaction zone and at least part of the unreacted alkylatable aromatic compound is treated to remove catalyst poisons therefrom and produce a treated unreacted alkylatable aromatic stream. At least part of the unreacted alkylatable aromatic compound and a third feed comprising said alkene is introduced into a second alkylation reaction zone comprising a second alkylation catalyst. The second alkylation reaction zone is operated under conditions effective to cause alkylation of the unreacted alkylatable aromatic compound by the alkene to produce said alkylaromatic compound, the conditions being such that the alkylatable aromatic compound is at least predominantly in the liquid phase. A second effluent comprising said alkylaromatic compound is withdrawn from the second alkylation reaction zone.

Alkylaromatics production

The invention is directed to a process for hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstock containing sulfur and/or nitrogen contaminants, said process comprising first contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with hydrogen in the presence of at least one first group VIII metal on a first acidic support catalyst, and thereafter contacting the feedstock with hydrogen in the presence of at least one second group VIII metal catalyst on a less acidic support.

Hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstock

A method for producing phenol is disclosed which includes oxidizing cumene to form cumene hydroperoxide and acid cleavage to form cumene, phenol, acetone, and various byproducts, including alpha methylstyrene, followed by a subsequent hydrogenation of at least a part of the acetone and substantially all of the alpha methylstyrene.

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Needham, MA, United States of America

Chung-Ming Chi