Patent ID: 8124797

Claim:
A process for producing propylene oxide comprising: (a.) contacting a titanium zeolite with a reaction feed comprising propylene, hydrogen peroxide, tertiary butyl alcohol, and water to produce a product stream comprising propylene, propylene oxide, propylene glycol, tertiary butyl alcohol, and water; (b.) distilling the product stream to produce a first overhead stream comprising propylene and a first bottoms stream comprising propylene oxide, propylene glycol, tertiary butyl alcohol, and water; (c.) distilling the first bottoms stream to produce a second overhead stream comprising propylene oxide and a second bottoms product stream comprising propylene glycol, tertiary butyl alcohol, and water; and distilling the second bottoms stream to produce a third overhead stream comprising an azeotrope of tertiary butyl alcohol and water and a third bottoms stream comprising propylene glycol and water.