Method to manufacture bisphenol A
First Claim
1. A process to obtain high-purity bisphenol A from a post-reaction mixture resulting from the step of synthesis from phenol and acetone, in the presence of a strong acid cation-exchanger catalyst, by way of crystallization and separation by distillation followed by recovery of bisphenol A from the step of thermal catalytic decomposition of by-products of the principal process technology in a multistage process, the by-products being selected from the group consisting of o,p isomers of bisphenol A, Dianin compound, trisphenols, polyphenols and colored substances, wherein unit (1) of the reaction system is the unit where the following reactions are conducted simultaneously:
- reaction of phenol with acetone, reaction of phenol with recycled p-isopropenylphenol, and reactions of isomerizational rearrangement of bisphenol A isomers, at a temperature of about 60°
-95°
C. in the presence of a micro- and macroporous catalyst mixture, whereas the post-reaction mixture is cooled together with acetone and water to obtain a bisphenol-A/phenol slurry adduct in a phenolic solution in unit (2) and the bisphenol-A/phenol slurry adduct in a phenolic solution obtained in unit (2) is separated in unit (3) to obtain crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct and phenol liquor I, whereafter the crystalline adduct is washed with phenolic solution and the crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct obtained in unit (3) is dissolved in at least one of a portion of the phenol liquor I and a phenol liquor II in unit (4) and the mixture is cooled to obtain bisphenol-A/phenol adduct slurry in a phenolic solution, whereafter the slurry obtained in unit (4) is separated in unit (5) into crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct and the phenol liquor II to be sent back to unit (3) while washing the crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct with phenol solution, whereas the high-purity bisphenol A is separated in unit (6) by removing phenol from bisphenol-A/phenol adduct obtained in unit (5), phenol liquor I obtained in unit (3) is distilled in unit (7) by removing water and acetone and part of phenol therefrom, whereas dewartered phenol liquor is sent back to unit (1), whereafter part of the phenol liquor obtained in at least one of unit (3) and unit (7) is decomposed by thermal catalytic decomposition in unit (8) to obtain phenol-containing distillate, p-isopropenylphenol and the process by-products, while reactive components of the distillate obtained in unit (8) are rearranged catalytically in unit (9) leaving the p-isopropenylphenol contained therein substantially intact, and the rearranged distillate is sent back to unit (1) of the process of the invention.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a process for obtaining a high purity bisphenol from a post-reaction mixture resulting from the step of synthesis of phenol and acetone in the presence of a strong acid cation exhanger catalyst, by the way of crystallation and separation by distillation followed by recovery of bisphenol-A from the step of thermal catalytic decomposition of by product of the principal process technology in a multistage process.
36 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A process to obtain high-purity bisphenol A from a post-reaction mixture resulting from the step of synthesis from phenol and acetone, in the presence of a strong acid cation-exchanger catalyst, by way of crystallization and separation by distillation followed by recovery of bisphenol A from the step of thermal catalytic decomposition of by-products of the principal process technology in a multistage process, the by-products being selected from the group consisting of o,p isomers of bisphenol A, Dianin compound, trisphenols, polyphenols and colored substances, wherein unit (1) of the reaction system is the unit where the following reactions are conducted simultaneously:
- reaction of phenol with acetone, reaction of phenol with recycled p-isopropenylphenol, and reactions of isomerizational rearrangement of bisphenol A isomers, at a temperature of about 60°
-95°
C. in the presence of a micro- and macroporous catalyst mixture, whereas the post-reaction mixture is cooled together with acetone and water to obtain a bisphenol-A/phenol slurry adduct in a phenolic solution in unit (2) and the bisphenol-A/phenol slurry adduct in a phenolic solution obtained in unit (2) is separated in unit (3) to obtain crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct and phenol liquor I, whereafter the crystalline adduct is washed with phenolic solution and the crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct obtained in unit (3) is dissolved in at least one of a portion of the phenol liquor I and a phenol liquor II in unit (4) and the mixture is cooled to obtain bisphenol-A/phenol adduct slurry in a phenolic solution, whereafter the slurry obtained in unit (4) is separated in unit (5) into crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct and the phenol liquor II to be sent back to unit (3) while washing the crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct with phenol solution, whereas the high-purity bisphenol A is separated in unit (6) by removing phenol from bisphenol-A/phenol adduct obtained in unit (5), phenol liquor I obtained in unit (3) is distilled in unit (7) by removing water and acetone and part of phenol therefrom, whereas dewartered phenol liquor is sent back to unit (1), whereafter part of the phenol liquor obtained in at least one of unit (3) and unit (7) is decomposed by thermal catalytic decomposition in unit (8) to obtain phenol-containing distillate, p-isopropenylphenol and the process by-products, while reactive components of the distillate obtained in unit (8) are rearranged catalytically in unit (9) leaving the p-isopropenylphenol contained therein substantially intact, and the rearranged distillate is sent back to unit (1) of the process of the invention.
- reaction of phenol with acetone, reaction of phenol with recycled p-isopropenylphenol, and reactions of isomerizational rearrangement of bisphenol A isomers, at a temperature of about 60°
-
2. A process for preparing bisphenol A, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) simultaneously (1) reacting phenol with acetone, (2) reacting p-isopropenylphenol with phenol, and (3) subjecting isomers of bisphenol A to isomerization in a single reactant mixture containing a strong acid cation-exchange resin catalyst at a temperature of about 60°
-95°
C. to form a post-reaction mixture containing bisphenol A and phenol, the bisphenol A being produced in each of reactions (1)-(3),(b) cooling the post-reaction mixture to form a first slurry containing a first bisphenol A-phenol adduct, (c) subjecting the first slurry to solid-liquid separation to obtain a first crystalline bisphenol A-phenol adduct and a first phenolic solution, (d) removing water and phenol from at least a portion of the first phenolic solution to form a dewatered first phenolic solution, and recycling a portion of the dewatered first phenolic solution into the reactant mixture of step (a), (e) washing the first crystalline bisphenol A-phenol adduct with a portion of a second phenolic solution, (f) dissolving the washed first crystalline bisphenol A-phenol adduct in at least one of a portion of the dewatered first phenolic solution and a portion of the second phenolic solution, (g) cooling the dissolved mixture from step (f) to form a second slurry containing a second bisphenol A-phenol adduct, (h) subjecting the second slurry to solid-liquid separation to obtain the second phenolic solution, at least a portion of which is recycled to step (e), and a second crystalline bisphenol A-phenol adduct, (i) washing the second crystalline bisphenol A-phenol adduct with a third phenolic solution, (j) removing phenol from the washed second crystalline bisphenol A-phenol adduct to obtain bisphenol A, and (k) treating the non-watered portion of the first phenolic solution and any remaining portion of the dewatered first phenolic solution to obtain a distillate comprising phenol, p-isopropenylphenol and isomers of bisphenol A, and recycling the distillate to step (a). - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification