Process for preparing cumene which is used in the preparation of phenol

US6841704B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• INEOS Phenol GmbH & Co., KG · DE

Inventors

• Michael Sakuth · Marl, DE
• Uwe Tanger · Bochum, DE
• Markus Weber · Langenfeld, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 19, 2001
• Grant date: Jan 11, 2005
• Expiry date: Mar 18, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P20/582
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for the preparation of cumene by reacting isopropanol or a mixture of isopropanol and propene with benzene in the presence of a β-zeolite catalyst having a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio greater than 10:1 that can be integrated in a process for preparing phenol, which comprises preparing cumene as described above, oxidizing cumene to cumene hydroperoxide, acid-catalyzed cleavage of cumene hydroperoxide to give phenol and acetone, and hydrogenating acetone to form isopropanol.