I/EC
COSTS
Table I.
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A Workbook Feature
Estimated Production Cost Comparison f o r Synthetic Phenol
(Based on data of Messing and Kearny and 1957 costs. pounds per year)
Sulfonation $4,200,000
Plant investment
Plant capacity 15 million Chlorobenzene Vapor phase (diphenyl oxide Caustic hydrolysis recycled) $4,900,000 $4,350,000
Cost per Pound 0.77 0.77 Labor, average $2.20/hr. 0.91 1.48 1.55 utilities 1.31 1.63 1.45 Maintenance 2.24 1.62 1.45 Taxes, insurance, and fixed charges 1.40 0.38 0.39 Overhead and supervision 0.45 3.25 2.90 Depreciation at 10%/yr. 2.80 Production cost 9.11 9.13 8.51 Estimated net material cost (1957 prices 4.33° less by-product credits) 4.92" 4.52" Total production cost 14.03 13.65 12.84 Current sales price. Phenol, USP, synthetic, drums, c.l. and l.c.l., wks , freight allowed, 0.20-0.22/lb. ° Net material costs vary with chemical prices and marketing conditions for by-products. These figures are based on estimated material balances in absence of practical data.
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gen chloride before passing over a catalyst in a first stage converter. T h e reacted mixture consists of ben zene, chlorobenzene, some dichlorobenzenes, excess hydrochloric acid, oxygen, and nitrogen. Pure chloro benzene is produced by partial con densation a n d distillation. Chlorobenzene vapor a n d steam are passed over a catalyst at about 500° C. in a second stage converter. T h e gases leaving this unit consist of chlorobenzene, phenol, hydrochloric acid, a n d water. Hydrochloric acid is removed from this stream by passage through a water scrubbing tower. Tower overheads consist of water-chlorobenzene azeotrope a n d phenol. Bottoms a r e dilute hydro chloric acid a n d some phenol, which is recovered by benzene extraction. T h e overhead stream is separated by a second scrubbing with hot water, which results in isolation of phenol as a water solution. Phenol is re covered by extraction with benzene, followed by distillation. Reactions are: G,H6 + HC1 + Ο
Free Bulletin
C 6 H 6 C1 + H2O
Edwin L. Wiegand Company 7511 Thomas Boulevard · Pittsburgh 8, Pa C-2II6-A
^ catalyst C 6 H 5 O H + HC1
4. Cumene Process. Benzene is alkylated with propylene to produce cumene. T h e cumene is oxidized with air to form cumene hydroper oxide. Phenol a n d acetone a r e o b tained by treatment of cumene by
Circle No. 48 A on Readers' Service Card, page 115 A
48 A
>catalyst C 6 H 5 C1 + H 2 0
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
hydroperoxide with sulfuric acid under conditions of heat a n d pres sure. This is the newest of the cur rently used phenol processes a n d t h e least documented in the literature. Its economic success is very much dependent upon available markets for t h e by-product acetone. Reac tions a r e : C6H6CH(CH3)2 — C0H5C(CH3)2OOH Cumene air Cumene hydro peroxide CeH6C(CH3)2OOH
>• H 2 SO, CiHjOH + (CH3)2CO Acetone
Processes 1, 2, and 3 are covered in some detail by P. H . Groggins ( " U n i t Processes in O r g a n i c Synthesis," 4th éd., p p . 693-701, McGraw-Hill, N e w York). A tabular comparison of plant investment a n d operating costs for t h e three processes b y Messing a n d K e a r n y , which originally a p p e a r e d in Chemical Industries in 1948, is reprinted on page 700. T a b l e I gives essentially t h e same data, scaled u p to 1957 costs. Process selection will frequently be tied into other activities of t h e investing firm. A sulfonator having captive sulfuric acid production a n d know-how in sulfonation techniques will select the older process. O n e of the chlorobenzene processes m a y be preferred by a manufacturer with a n excess of by-product chlorine or hydrochloric acid, both of which m a terials are notoriously difficult to dispose of.
