Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited

Shinohara, Koji

Toshio Nakayama

Koji Shinohara

Noriaki Oku

Masaru Ishino

Junpei Tsuji

Mitsuhisa Tamura

Masahiro Usui

Kiyoshi Iwanaga

Tetsuo Suzuki

Hirooki Nagaoka

Hiroyuki Umida

A method of purifying propylene oxide, which comprises subjecting the propylene oxide containing methyl formate as an impurity to extractive distillation using a hydrocarbon of 7 to 10 carbon atoms as an extractant with an extractive distillation column, adding water to the distillate from the overhead of the extractive distillation column to conduct oil-water separation, recycling the oil layer separated to the extractive distillation column, removing the aqueous layer outside the system thereby to obtain propylene oxide in which a methyl formate concentration is reduced as a bottom liquid of the extractive distillation column.

Method of purifying propylene oxide

A process for purifying propylene oxide, which comprises washing propylene oxide containing aldehydes and subsequently contacting an aqueous phase obtained with an extractant.

Process for purifying propylene oxide

A process for producing cumene by subjecting cumyl alcohol to hydrogenolysis or hydrogenation subsequent to dehydration, which comprises using a palladium-based catalyst as a catalyst for the hydrogenolysis or the hydrogenation, and using hydrogen having a carbon monoxide concentration of 0.1 to 10% by volume as hydrogen.

Process for producing cumene and process for propylene oxide production including the production process

A process for purifying propylene oxide characterized by subjecting a liquid reaction mixture containing propylene oxide, and water, hydrocarbons and oxygen-containing organic compounds as impurities obtained by reacting cumene hydroperoxide with propylene to extractive distillation using an extractant of a hydrocarbon having 7 to 20 carbon atoms with an extractive distillation column, and controlling a concentration of propylene glycol in the extractant supplied to the extractive distillation column to 20% by weight or less.

Any one material selected from (A) sec-butylbenzene substantially free from ethyl hydroperoxide, carboxylic acids and phenol, (B) sec-butylbenzene substantially free from styrenes and (C) sec-butylbenzene substantially free from methylbenzyl alcohol is oxidized to obtain sec-butylbenzene hydroperoxide, which is then decomposed to obtain phenol and methyl ethyl ketone.

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Sodegaura, Japan

Toshio Nakayama