Patent ID: 9272974
Filing Date: 2016-03-01
CPC Classification: C07C

Claim Text:
1. A process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone, said process comprising: (a) contacting cyclohexylbenzene with an oxygen-containing gas under conditions effective to produce an oxidation effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide; (b) contacting at least part of said oxidation effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide with a cleavage catalyst under conditions effective to produce a cleavage effluent containing phenol and cyclohexanone; wherein at least one of said oxidation effluent and said cleavage effluent contains at least one by-product selected from phenylcyclohexanols and phenylcyclohexanones; (c) contacting at least part of said at least one effluent containing said at least one by-product with a dehydration catalyst under conditions effective to convert at least part of said by-product to phenylcyclohexene; and (d) contacting at least part of said phenylcyclohexene with hydrogen under conditions effective to convert at least part of said phenylcyclohexene to cyclohexylbenzene, wherein said contacting (c) and contacting (d) are conducted in the same reaction zone in the presence of a bifunctional catalyst comprising (i) an acid dehydration component comprising a molecular sieve of the MCM-22 family, and (ii) a hydrogenating metal component.