Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd.

Tetsuo Imamura

Tatsuo Shirahata

Riichiro Nagano

Toru Tomoshige

Kichiro Shoji

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.

Catalysts for catalytic pyrolysis of phenol distillation residue and

A process for preparing thermoplastic olefin elastomers which comprises mixing and extruding in a screw extruder (A) an olefin rubber having a number average molecular weight of about 10,000 to 100,000 and composed of a copolymer of ethylene with an .alpha.-olefin containing at least 3 carbon atoms and (B) about 1 to 15 parts by weight, per 100 parts by weight of the olefin rubber (A), of a specified dicarboxylic acid monomer at about 200 to 320.degree. C in the presence of (C) 0.02 to 3 milliequivalents, per 100 grams of the olefin rubber (A), of an alkyl peroxide, and in the absence of molecular oxygen. The thermoplastic olefin elastomers have superior mechanical properties, thermal stability, processability and adhesiveness, and find a wide range of applications, for example, as extrusion or injection molding materials, adhesives, coating agents, and modifiers for plastics and rubbers.

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Chiba, Japan

Tetsuo Imamura