Patent ID: 7759524

Claim:
A process for producing phenol and methyl ethyl ketone, the process comprising: (a) contacting benzene and a C 4 olefin under alkylation conditions and in the presence of an alkylation catalyst to produce sec-butylbenzene; (b) oxidizing the sec-butylbenzene from (a) to produce an oxidation effluent comprising see-butylbenzene hydroperoxide and acetophenone; (c) cleaving at least part of the sec-butylbenzene hydroperoxide in said oxidation effluent to produce phenol and methyl ethyl ketone; and (d) hydrogenating and dehydrating in a single step at least part of the acetophenone in said oxidation effluent to produce at least one of methyl benzyl alcohol, styrene and ethylbenzenc using a hydrogenation and dehydration catalyst comprising a hydrogenation function and a dehydration function, wherein the hydrogenation and dehydration catalyst includes a metal from Groups 4 to 14 of the Periodic Table of Elements or a compound thereof.