Method to treat an ion-exchanger catalyst for the process to synthesize alkylphenols

A method for reducing the water content of an ion exchange catalyst used in the synthesis of alkyl phenols, wherein the catalyst comprises a cation exchange bed of a sulphonated styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer containing 4-50% divinylbenzene, in hydrogen form, and having a moisture content of up to 70% by weight, comprising the steps or sequence of:

• (1) passing phenol containing 0.01-1% by weight water through the cation exchange bed at a temperature in the range 50.degree.-100.degree. C. to provide a resultant first effluent containing 50-99.5% by weight phenol and 0.5-50% by weight water,
• (2) running said resultant first effluent through a basic anion exchange resin to obtain a resultant second effluent,
• (3) removing water from the second effluent by distillation to obtain a dewatered phenol containing from 0.01-1% moisture by weight,
• (4) recycling said dewatered phenol through the cation exchange bed and its resultant first effluent throughout anion exchange resin until the water content of said cation exchanger is at or below 10%.
• (5) washing the cation exchange bed at a temperature of 60 .degree.-130.degree. C. with a mixture consisting of 35-80% by weight phenol, 5-20 by weight C.sub.6 -C.sub.12 olefins, 5-60% by weight Alkyl phenols having at least one substitute chain containing 6-12 carbon atoms, 0.1-5% by weight dialkyl phenols having substitute chains containing 6-12 carbon atoms, 0.1-15% by weight saturated C.sub.6 -C.sub.12 hydrocarbons and 0.05-2% by weight water and collecting the effluent,
• (6) contacting the effluent with the basic ion exchange resin,
• (7) recycling said contacted effluent through said cation exchange bed and basic ion exchange resin until the cation exchange bed has a moisture contempt of not more than 3% by weight.