Patent ID: 7799956

Claim:
A process for producing phenol and methyl ethyl ketone, the process comprising: (a) contacting a feed comprising benzene and a C4 alkylating agent under alkylation conditions with catalyst comprising a molecular sieve having an X-ray diffraction pattern including d-spacing maxima at 12.4±0.25, 6.9±0.15, 3.57±0.07 and 3.42±0.07 Angstrom to produce an alkylation effluent comprising sec-butylbenzene wherein said C4 alkylating agent is contained in a C 4 hydrocarbon mixture comprising butene-1, isobutene and butadiene and wherein, prior to alkylation, the C 4 hydrocarbon mixture is subjected to butadiene removal and isobutene removal; (b) oxidizing the sec-butylbenzene from (a) to produce a hydroperoxide wherein said oxidizing (b) is conducted in the presence of a catalyst wherein said oxidation catalyst is an N-hydroxy substituted cyclic imide either alone or in the presence of a free radical initiator; and c) cleaving the hydroperoxide from (b) to produce phenol and methyl ethyl ketone.