Process for separating phenol from a mixture comprising at least hydroxyacetone, cumene, water and phenol

US6583326B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Phenolchemie GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Christoph Schwarz · Burnaby, CA
• Markus Weber · Langenfeld, DE
• Uwe Tanger · Bochum, DE
• Hermann-Josef Korte · Haltern, DE
• Jochen Ullrich · Gladbeck, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 5, 2001
• Grant date: Jun 24, 2003
• Expiry date: Oct 5, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C37/74
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Phenol is separated from a mixture containing hydroxyacetone, cumene, water and phenol, by fractionating the mixture in a process with a fractional distillation step and a phase separation step to provide a single phenol fraction containing less than 300 ppm of hydroxyacetone. In the work-up by distillation of cleavage product mixtures, the hydroxyacetone can be removed from the cleavage product mixture together with a phenol fraction from which the hydroxyacetone has to be removed. A process can be used for purifying cleavage product mixtures obtained in the cleavage of alkylaryl hydroperoxides such as cumene hydroperoxide. The process allows separation of phenol and acetone from mixtures obtained in the cleavage of cumene hydroperoxide.