Low Sodium Cleavage Product
AssigneeKellogg Brown & Root LLC
InventorsTheodor Robert Wilks, Mark Thornton Vandersall, William Frederick Rogers JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Washed cleavage product (WCP) in a phenol manufacturing process is treated to remove sodium ions. The WCP is contacted with a cation exchange resin in hydrogen form, and then with anion exchange resin in free base or hydroxide form, to produce a WCP essentially free of sodium ions. The cation and anion exchange resins are regenerated with acid and caustic, respectively. The treatment improves productivity and product quality of new and existing phenol processes.
Claims25
A process for reducing ion content of washed cleavage product from the reaction of cumene hydroperoxide with an acid catalyst, comprising:
- contacting the washed cleavage product with a cation exchanger to remove positively charged ions including sodium;
- contacting the washed cleavage product with an anion exchanger to remove negatively charged ions including sulfate;
- and
- recovering exchanger effluent lean in sodium and sulfate.
A process for producing phenol, comprising:
- oxidizing cumene to cumene hydroperoxide;
- cleaving the cumene hydroperoxide in the presence of an acid catalyst to form a cleavage product mixture including phenol and acetone;
- washing the cleavage product mixture with alkaline wash solution to form a washed cleavage product;
- contacting the washed cleavage product with a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger to form a polished cleavage product of reduced ion content;
- and
- recovering phenol and acetone from the polished cleavage product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.