PRODUCTION OF ORTHO POSITION-METHYLATED PHENOL COMPOUND

摘要

PURPOSE:To obtain a product methylated in the ortho position and substance having high boiling point, by carrying out methylation in ortho position of phenol by fluid bed reaction, subjecting a scattered catalyst to distillation separation together with the substance having high boiling point before separating unreacted phenol and subjecting the resultant tower bottom liquid to thin film evaporation. CONSTITUTION:Phenol is reacted with methanol in a fluid bed reactor in the presence of a metal oxide and the reaction mixture is cooled (2) and then gas by-product is separated (3). Water content is evaporated and separated in a dehydrated tower 5 and the tower bottom liquid is introduced to a separation tower 19 of a substance having high boiling point and the tower top liquid is treated in a phenol tower (10), orthocresol tower (13) and 2,6-xylenol tower (16) one after another to provide, 2,6-xylenol from a line (17). A tower bottom liquid in the separation tower is introduced into a thin film evaporator (22) and a gas side is partially condensed with a heat exchanger (24) and a fuel mainly containing the substance having high boiling point containing no fine powder catalyst is further passed through a heat exchange (26) to recover an active component (27) mainly containing 2,6-xylenol and a substance having higher boiling point and containing the fine powder catalyst is discharged (23) as a bottom liquid.