Patent ID: 8592634

Claim:
A continuous process for producing phenol or a substituted phenol and a co-product, the process comprising the steps of: (a) contacting in a first reactor a first stream comprising an alkylaromatic compound with a second stream comprising an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a first catalyst comprising a cyclic imide under conditions to convert at least a portion of said alkylaromatic compound to an alkylaromatic hydroperoxide, wherein said alkylaromatic compound having a general formula (II): in which R 1 and R 2 each independently represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, provided that R 1 and R 2 may be joined to form a cyclic group having from 4 to 10 carbon atoms, said cyclic group being optionally substituted, and R 3 represents hydrogen, one or more alkyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a cyclohexyl group, wherein said cyclic imide having a general formula (III): in which each of R 4 and R 5 is independently selected from hydrocarbyl and substituted hydrocarbyl radicals having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or from the groups SO 3 H, NH 2 , OH, and NO 2 or from the atoms H, F, Cl, Br, and I, provided that R 4 and R 5 can be linked to one another via a covalent bond, each of Q 1 and Q 2 is independently selected from C, CH, N, CR 6 , each of X and Z is independently selected from C, S, CH 2 , N, P and elements of Group 4 of the Periodic Table of Elements, Y is O or OH, k is 0, 1, or 2, l is 0, 1, or 2; m is 1 to 3; and R 6 can be any of the entities listed for R 4 , and wherein said alkylaromatic hydroperoxide having a general formula (I): in which each of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 is as defined above; (b) producing an effluent stream comprising said cyclic imide, said alkylaromatic hydroperoxide, and said alkylaromatic compound wherein said effluent stream has an alkylaromatic hydroperoxide concentration of from 10 to 40 wt %; and (c) contacting in a second reactor at least a portion of said effluent stream with a second catalyst to convert said alkylaromatic hydroperoxide to a product stream comprising phenol and said co-product.