Early processes for the manufacture of acetone were based on the thermal decomposition of calcium acetate or the carbohydrate fermentation of corn starch or molasses. The ready availability of propylene in the 1960s led to routes based on the dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol or cumene peroxidation.
The cumene route, in which the acetone is coproduced with phenol, is the preferred technology because of its lower costs and nearly 90% of acetone is produced this way. The main process for manufacturing cumene involves the reaction of propylene and benzene in the presence of phosphoric acid-based catalysts or, more recently, zeolite catalysts. The cumene is oxidised in the liquid phase to cumene hydroperoxide which is then cleaved in the presence of sulphuric acid to phenol and acetone. About 0.62 tonnes of acetone is produced with each tonne of phenol.
The isopropyl alcohol route, where the alcohol is dehydrogenated to acetone over a metal, metal oxide or salt catalyst, has been declining. A newer process that has been gaining importance in Japan is the direct oxidation of propylene but it suffers from high capital costs and corrosion problems. Small quantities of acetone are also produced as a byproduct in the manufacture of propylene oxide (Lyondell), acetic acid and hydroquinone (Eastman Chemical and Goodyear).
Shell Chemical has developed a phenol process which coproduces both acetone and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). According to consultants Nexant ChemSystems, it involves the co-oxidation of cumene and sec-butylbenzene, which is made via alkylation of benzene with n-butenes. The process has the potential to change the acetone/MEK ratio within reasonable limits to meet varying market demands. Although the cost of making the phenol is higher than the conventional cumene route due to higher raw material costs, the large byproduct credit received for the MEK more than makes up for these costs, says Nexant.
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Acetone
Uses and Outlook
The largest consumer of acetone is acetone cyanohydrin (ACH), which is the precursor to methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methacrylic acid. Nearly all MMA is polymerised to make homopolymers and copolymers with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resins being the largest application. PMMA is used to make acrylic products such as windows, skylights, lighting fixtures, signs and automotive parts. Methacrylates are also used in latex surface coatings.
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