Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd.

Tatsuo Shirahata

Tetsuo Imamura

Naoto Yasaka

Kenji Doi

Shinji Senoo

Katsunari Higashi

Kozo Yasuda

Kunihiko Morizane

Masahiro Hatakeyama

Kichiro Shoji

The present invention provides an easy process for purifying phenol by separating carbonyl compounds through selective hydrogenation of the compounds to the corresponding alcohols then distillation. The phenol purification process of the present invention comprises bringing phenol into contact with a copper-based catalyst in the presence of hydrogen to convert carbonyl compounds contained in the phenol to the corresponding alcohol compounds, and separating the alcohol compounds and phenol by distillation.

Phenol purification process

The invention provides processes for producing 2-propanol with higher purity than heretofore possible while suppressing the by-production of impurities. A process of the invention produces 2-propanol by reacting acetone with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, wherein the process includes reacting a raw material mixture containing water and acetone, with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, and the raw material mixture contains water at 1.2 to 4.0 wt % based on 100 wt % of the total of the water and the acetone.

Process for producing 2-propanol

The improved process for producing phenol, acetone and .alpha.-methylstyrene in the cumene-phenol process comprising cumene hydroperoxide, cumene and dimethylphenylcarbinol in the presence of sulfuric acid has the steps of decomposing the cumene hydroperoxide in a back mixing reactor with the yield of .alpha.-methylstyrene as produced from dimethylphenylcarbinol being controlled and the step of forming .alpha.-methylstyrene in such a way that the reaction mixture produced in the first step is supplied into a plug-flow reactor after acetone is added to said reaction mixture. The process is capable of consistent production of phenol and .alpha.-methylstyrene in high yields under mild reaction conditions.

Process for the production of phenol

A process for producing a highly pure phenol, in which a crude phenol obtained from an acid-decomposition product of cumene hydroperoxide and having an .alpha.-methylstyrene content of 15% by weight or less is catalytically treated with an acidic .gamma.-alumina catalyst having a specific surface area of 80 to 400 m.sup.2 /g and an acid strength, according to Hammett's acidity function (Ho), of 3.ltoreq.Ho.ltoreq.6.8, in order to convert aliphatic and aromatic carbonyl compounds contained in the crude phenol into high-boiling compounds without causing the substantial formation of a dimer of .alpha.-methylstyrene contained in the crude phenol, and then, a phenol and the so-formed high-boiling compounds were separated by distillation.

Process for producing highly pure phenol

The catalysts for use in pyrolytic decomposition of the phenol distillation residue in accordance with the present invention are used in pyrolytically decomposing a distillation residue resulting from the separation by distillation of cumene, phenol and acetone from a reaction mixture obtained by oxidizing cumene with molecular oxygen followed by acid cleavage, and the present catalysts are characterized by comprising oxygen containing metallic compounds having a particle diameter of 0.002-100 .mu.m. Furthermore, the processes for recovering useful substances from a phenol distillation residue containing the same in accordance with the present invention are characterized by allowing said phenol distillation residue to undergo pyrolytic reaction at a temperature of 200.degree.-350.degree. C., preferably 250.degree.-300.degree. C., in the presence of the above-mentioned oxygen containing metallic compound catalysts having a particle diameter of 0.002-100 .mu.m, thereby recovering the useful substance such as cumene, phenol and the like from the phenol distillation residue.

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Ichihara, Japan

Tatsuo Shirahata