Recovery of 2-phenylethanol

Abstract

The present invention provides a novel method for recovering 2-phenylethanol which is produced as a by-product of non-catalytic air oxidation of ethylbenzene, and as a by-product, in the ethylbenzene hydroperoxide epoxidation of an olefinically unsaturated compound, e.g., propylene, to the corresponding alkylene oxide, e.g., propylene oxide. In such processes, 2-phenylethanol accumulates in a process stream typically comprising major proportions of methylbenzyl alcohol, ethylbenzene, alkylene oxide and acetophenone. Conventional distillation-separation procedures may remove most of the alkylene oxide and ethylbenzene, leaving a process stream which is eventually used for styrene monomer production which contains minor amounts, i.e., less than about 20 weight percent, of 2-phenylethanol. The present invention provides a novel method of recovering 2-phenylethanol from that process stream prior to its conversion to other by-products in the dehydration and hydrogenation steps which are utilized to produce styrene monomer. The present invention provides a 2-phenylethanol removal method comprising the preparation of a 2-phenylethanol feed stream having a methylbenzyl alcohol concentration of between about 10 and 70 weight percent, and a 2-phenylethanol concentration of between about 20 and 80 weight percent. This prepared feed stream is then diluted with an organic diluent, such as ethylbenzene, and is subjected to a metal halide addition which results in the formation of an insoluble 2-phenylethanol metal halide complex which is separated, washed and decomposed to produce a crude 2-phenylethanol product, which may be distilled to remove residual diluent to provide a high purity 2-phenylethanol product exhibiting superior fragrance qualities.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.