METHOD FOR PRODUCING PHENOL

• Main Authors: TAKAI TOSHIHIRO, KATO YOJI, KOKUBU YOSHIMITSU, DOI KENJI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 26.12.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; GENERAL METHODS OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing phenol and α-methylstyrene in high yield while suppressing the formation of a cumylphenol, a methylstyrene dimer and a high-boiling point compound in the method for producing the phenol by a cumene-method. SOLUTION: This method for producing the phenol is characterized in that an oxidation product of the cumene is washed by bringing the oxidation product into contact with at least 5 wt.% or more of water based on the amount of the oxidation product of the cumene fed to a reactor, subjecting the washed product to an oil-water separation, removing the water from the separated oil phase so that the content may be <=1 wt.%, feeding the water-removed product to a reactor, and reacting the fed product at 55-90 deg.C reaction temperature while keeping acetone concentration in the reaction mixture so as to be 20-70 wt.% until the conversion of cumene hydroperoxide becomes 95-99.9%.