| abstract |
The invention relates to a continuous process for the preparation of phenol by means of the direct oxidation of benzene with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalyst based on titanium silicalite TS-1 comprising: (a) running the process in a fixed bed reactor containing the catalyst based on TS-1 at a temperature ranging from 80-120°C and at a pressure ranging from 3-15 atm; (b) feeding to the reactor a stream containing H202, benzene, sulfolane and water in a single or double phase, wherein the quantities of the single components are within the range of 0.2-6, 15-60, 30-80, 0.5-30 parts by weight, respectively, for every 100 units fed and whose total flow rate is calculated so that the residence time in the reactor (defined as the ratio between the quantity of catalyst by weight and the feeding flow rate) ranges from 0.3 to 2 min; (c) recovery of the products, by-products and solvent from the liquid stream leaving the reactor. |