Patent ID: 8754246

Claim:
A process for separating phases of a mixture that contain an oxirane, comprising: receiving the mixture including a liquid aqueous phase, a liquid organic phase, the oxirane, and a solid phase titanium-silicalite catalyst; separating the mixture into the liquid aqueous phase that includes at least water, a peroxide compound, an alcohol and an olefin and the liquid organic phase that includes at least the olefin and a non-reactive co-solvent, where both the liquid aqueous phase and the liquid organic phase include the oxirane and wherein the liquid organic phase has a density greater than the liquid aqueous phase, the solid phase titanium-silicalite catalyst has a density greater than the liquid organic phase, and the solid phase titanium-silicalite catalyst has an affinity for the liquid aqueous phase, and where a first part of the solid phase titanium-silicalite catalyst remains suspended in the liquid aqueous phase and a second part of the solid phase titanium-silicalite catalyst settles through the liquid organic phase to a density driven position; recovering the liquid aqueous phase including the first part of the solid phase titanium-silicalite catalyst; and extracting at least the oxirane from the liquid aqueous phase with an extraction solvent.