To provide a method for producing cumene characterized by comprising efficiently converting cumene dimer as a by-product into the objective cumene in a method for producing propylene oxide comprising converting propylene into the propylene oxide using as an oxygen carrier cumene hydroperoxide obtained from cumene while using the cumene repeatedly.
The method for producing cumene comprises the steps described below: The cumyl alcohol hydrogenation step, which comprises hydrogenating cumyl alcohol in the presence of a catalyst into the objective cumene. The cumene dimer concentration step, which comprises isolating the cumene from the reaction liquid after the cumyl alcohol hydrogenation step and concentrating the cumene dimer contained in the reaction liquid. The cumene retrieving step, which comprises hydrogenating the concentrated cumene dimer in the presence of a catalyst into cumene and retrieving the cumene.
Toru Nakayama
Masayuki Enomoto