Process for producing propylene oxide
AssigneeSumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
InventorsJunpei Tsuji, Jun Yamamoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for producing propylene oxide, which comprises steps described below, wherein the concentration of water in a solution containing isopropylbenzene hydroperoxide to be supplied to the epoxidation step is 1% by weight or less: oxidation step; a step in which isopropylbenzene is oxidized to obtain isopropylbenzene hydroperoxide, epoxidation step; a step in which isopropylbenzene hydroperoxide obtained in the oxidation step is reacted with propylene to obtain propylene oxide and cumyl alcohol, and hydrogenolysis step; a step in which cumyl alcohol obtained in the epoxidation step is subjected to hydrogenolysis to obtain isopropylbenzene, and said isopropylbenzene is recycled to the oxidation step as a raw material for the oxidation step.
Claims6
A process for producing propylene oxide in a reaction system, which comprises the following steps:
- oxidation step;
- a step in which isopropylbenzene is oxidized to obtain isopropylbenzene hydroperoxide,
- epoxidation step;
- a step in which isopropylbenzene hydroperoxide obtained in the oxidation step is reacted with propylene to obtain propylene oxide and cumyl alcohol,
- hydrogenolysis step;
- a step in which cumyl alcohol obtained in the epoxidation step is subjected to hydrogenolysis to obtain isopropylbenzene, and said isopropylbenzene is recycled to the oxidation step as a raw material for the oxidation step, and
- a step for removing water to outside of the reaction system so that the concentration of water in a solution containing isopropylbenzene hydroperoxide to be supplied to the epoxidation step is 1% by weight or less.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.