Patent ID: 7601245
Filing Date: 2009-10-13
Classification: B01D,C07C

Abstract:
1. Process for reducing the aldehyde concentration in a mixture comprising cyclohexanone and one or more aldehydes comprising: oxidizing cyclohexane in a liquid phase with an oxygen containing gas resulting in an oxidation mixture comprising cyclohexane, cyclohexyl hydroperoxide, cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol; treating the oxidation mixture with a cyclohexyl hydroperoxide decomposing metal salt in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide such as to effect decomposition of the cyclohexyl hydroperoxide into cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol, resulting in a mixture comprising cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol and cyclohexane; separating, by a first distillation, cyclohexane from the mixture comprising cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol and cyclohexane to thereby obtain a resulting mixture comprising cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol; and separating, by a second distillation, low boiling compounds from the resulting mixture comprising cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol to obtain a top product comprising low boiling compounds and a bottom product comprising cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol and high boiling compounds; wherein the process further comprises reducing the aldehyde concentration in the mixture comprising cyclohexanone and one or more aldehydes by carrying out at least one of the first and second distillations in a distillation column in the presence of an alkaline compound, wherein less than 100 weight ppm of water is present in the bottom of the distillation column.