Abstract
The liquid-phase oxidation of benzene to phenol in benzene-water bi-phase system was studied. The catalyst was dissolved in water that was saturated with benzene. Therefore benzene was oxidized to phenol in water. The produced phenol was extracted to benzene phase. By extracting the produced phenol into organic phase, products were easily separated from the catalyst. Therefore consecutive oxidation of phenol was prevented. The experiment was carried out in a stirred tank batch reactor.
Two kinds of catalyst system were used. One was Fe-H2O2 system and the other was V-O2 system. The effect of the reaction conditions such as the hydrochloric acid concentration, the oxidant concentration and the catalyst concentration on yield of phenol and selectivity to phenol in Fe-H2O2 system was discussed. The yield became large at low hydrochloric acid concentration, high oxidant concentration and high catalyst concentration. The selectivity was independent from the oxidant concentration and the catalyst concentration. But the hydrochloric acid concentration affected the selectivity. The effect of the catalyst concentration on yield of phenol and selectivity to phenol in V-O2 system was discussed. The yield was increased with increase of the catalyst concentration. The selectivity has a little decrease with increase of the catalyst concentration.
An extractor that had aqueous alkaline, was used to separate phenol from reactor. The selectivity was improved when phenol was taken out from the reactor by the extractor in both catalyst systems.
