Shell Oil Comapny

Larry Wayne Payne

Jesse Raymond Black

Eugene F Lutz

Phillip E Unger

Paul V Shaw

Charles E Sanborn

A method for producing acetophenone comprising: treating one or more alkylbenzenes comprising s-butylbenzene to produce a feed comprising phenol and acetophenone; separating a crude phenol stream from the feed under crude phenol separation conditions effective to produce a crude phenol heavies; and, separating an acetophenone stream directly from the crude phenol heavies under azeotropic distillation conditions.

Recovery of acetophenone during the production of phenol

A method of manufacturing a phenol product having a reduced concentration of a contaminating reaction by-product. The method includes contacting a phenol stream, having a concentration of the contaminating by-product, by contacting the phenol stream with an acidic catalyst under suitable purification reaction conditions. Also included is a composition comprising a sec-butyl benzene derived phenol product that has been purified by the removal of certain undesirable reaction by-products.

Method of making high purity phenol

A method of purifying a phenol stream that contains a concentration of a contaminating compound is provided. The phenol stream is treated or purified by contacting the stream, under suitable process conditions, with a treatment catalyst that has a low silica content but comprises alumina and a Group VIA metal.

Method of purifying phenol

An improved process for the solvent extraction of free oil from C.sub.8 to C.sub.24 olefin sulfonation products, which comprises steps for contacting an olefin sulfonation product containing free oil with an alkane-based extraction solvent and phase separating the resulting mixture into an extract phase enriched in free oil and a raffinate phase enriched in sulfonated matter. The invention is particularly directed to the use in such a process of an extraction solvent which comprises one or more C.sub.4 to C.sub.9 alkanes and between about 5 and 35 percent by weight of dimethyl ketone. Deoiled sulfonation products are known for utility as components of detergent formulations for industrial, household and personal care uses.

Process for the deoiling of olefin sulfonates

An improved method for recovery of product alkanol and reactant olefin from a reaction mixture obtained via the sulfation and hydrolysis of C.sub.6 to C.sub.20 olefins, which comprise steps for a limited first evaporation of the reaction mixture under alkaline conditions to obtain an alkanol and olefin rich vapor and a liquid containing by-products of the sulfation and hydrolysis reactions, acid wash of the resulting liquid, and a second evaporation of alkanol and olefin from the washed liquid under acidic conditions. In addition to accomplishing separation of alkanol and olefin, the invention enhances selective utilization of C.sub.6 to C.sub.20 olefins for production of C.sub.6 to C.sub.20 alkanols.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Larry Wayne Payne