A Process for Manufacturing Isocyanates and/or Polycarbonates

A process for manufacturing isocyanates comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a chlorine stream and carbon monoxide stream, wherein the chlorine stream comprises less than 500 ppm bromine;
• b) reacting said chlorine stream and said carbon monoxide stream for providing a phosgene stream, wherein the mole ratio carbon monoxide in the carbon monoxide stream over chlorine in the chlorine stream is in a range of between 0.900:1.000 to 1.025:1000;
• c) cooling the phosgene stream to a temperature at which the phosgene in the phosgene stream is liquid, to form a liquid phosgene stream and a gas stream;
• d) separating the gas stream and the liquid phosgene stream;
• e) removing residual chlorine from the liquid phosgene stream to form a chlorine depleted phosgene stream;
• g1) reacting the chlorine depleted phosgene stream with an amine compound to form a corresponding isocyanate compound.