Using the latest phenol technology from Sunoco and UOP, producers are now able to manufacture the highest quality phenol on the market today. With total GC impurities at <10 wt.ppm and total cresols at <10 wt.ppm, overall phenol purity is approaching 100%.

These results have now been observed in several recent commercial start-ups and establishes a new benchmark for producing ultra high purity phenol in support of growing markets such as bis-phenol A (BPA) and high performance polycarbonates. This outcome is mainly due to improvements in the phenol purification section of the process coupled with very high purity cumene feedstocks coming from advanced zeolitic cumene technology that replaces older SPA cumene technology.

Yields have also been improved dramatically with cumene/phenol consumption ratios now approaching 102% of theoretical consumption with the new process. This has been the result of several recent advances in the low pressure oxidation section of the process as well as introduction of an advanced CHP decomposer design.

Detailed results from the recent start-ups along with the implications for the future of the phenol market are reviewed in this paper.