The original process to manufacture cumene was propyl alkylation of benzene using sulphuric acid as the catalyst. However, this process suffered from complicated neutralisation and recycle steps as well as corrosion problems.
Modern technology is based on the reaction of propylene and benzene either in the liquid or gas phases. These processes initially used solid phosphoric acid (vapour phase) or aluminium chloride (liquid phase) catalysts.
However, in recent years production economics have been radically changed by processes which use zeolite catalysts with a rapid shift, particularly in the US, to these zeolite-based systems. The zeolite-based routes offer lower costs through high benzene-to-cumene selectivity, high product purities and the ability to regenerate the catalyst, eliminating a waste disposal problem. A further development has been the combination of the catalytic reaction with distillation in a single column, using the heat from the exothermic reaction in the distillation.
Cumene
Price Reports
ICIS pricing gives you access on a weekly or real time basis to the latest price movements and critical market commentary on the Cumene market. Click below to see a quarterly market overview.
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Cumene
Uses and Outlook
Around 98% of cumene is used to produce phenol and its co-product acetone. However, the outlook for cumene is largely dependent on the performance of phenol’s derivatives which have resulted in healthy growth rates for cumene.
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