Systems and methods for removing or reducing water in mixtures that include t-butyl hydroperoxide

A system for producing an epoxide, the system comprising:

• a feed mixture comprising t-butyl hydroperoxide, t-butyl alcohol, and a first amount of water, wherein the first amount of water is present in the first mixture at an amount of at least 2%, by weight, based on the weight of the first mixture;
• a membrane module comprising a membrane, the membrane module receiving the feed mixture and contacting the feed mixture with the membrane one or more times to produce a first mixture stream and a second mixture stream, wherein the first mixture stream comprises t-butyl hydroperoxide, t-butyl alcohol, and a second amount of water, the second amount of water being at least 30% less by weight than the first amount of water, and wherein the second amount of water is present in the second mixture at an amount of about 0.01% to about 0.5%, by weight, based on the weight of the second mixture;
• and
• an epoxidation reactor receiving the first mixture stream and reacting the first mixture stream comprising the second amount of water with propylene in the presence of a catalyst to produce a product stream comprising propylene oxide.

A method for producing epoxide, the method comprising:

• providing a first mixture comprising t-butyl hydroperoxide, t-butyl alcohol, and a first amount of water;
• contacting at least a portion of the first mixture with a membrane one or more times to produce a second mixture comprising t-butyl hydroperoxide, t-butyl alcohol, and a second amount of water, wherein the second amount of water is at least 30% less than the first amount of water, and wherein the second amount of water is present in the second mixture at an amount of about 0.08% to about 0.15%, by weight, based on the weight of the second mixture;
• and
• reacting the second mixture comprising the second amount of water with propylene to produce a third mixture comprising propylene oxide and t-butyl alcohol.