scientist with beakers
Most of the acetone production worldwide in 2011 was through what is known as the cumene process, a hydrolysis reaction of cumene hydroperoxide. More than 90% of acetone production is generated in this way and involves a reaction between the plastic propylene and the aromatic compound benzene. The output of the two chemicals is phenol and acetone, and for every pound (0.45 kg) of phenol produced in the reaction, approximately 0.62 pound (0.28 kg) of acetone is created. Some acetone is also generated from a dehydrogenation reaction process involving isopropyl alcohol or through the direct hydrogenation of various hydrocarbons.
The cumene process to produce acetone was first discovered by Rudolf Yur’evich Uldris in Russia in 1942, and acetone production with it began in 1949 in Russia and Canada. In 1953, 8,000 metric tons per year were generated in Canada and by 2002, the United States alone produced 1,839,000 metric tons of the chemical. Commercially, 75% of the acetone produced in the US is used to make other chemicals, 12% is used as a universal solvent, and the remaining 13% is used for a variety of purposes, from making adhesives to pharmaceutical products.
The chemical reaction of cumene is a fairly simple process. Cumene, which is itself a solvent, C 9 H 12 , is derived from the propylation of benzene and then oxidized to produce cumene hydroperoxide. The reaction takes place in a water-based emulsion containing sodium carbonate, Na 2 CO 3 , at a temperature of 194° to 266° Fahrenheit (90° to 130° Celsius) and a pressure of 72 to 145 psi. square (5 to 10 bars). The oxidized state of cumene as cumene hydroperoxide is then concentrated in vacuum columns where a covalent molecular bond cleavage process is used to separate it into phenol and acetone.
The production of acetone involving the use of isopropyl alcohol requires the combination of i-propyl alcohol with water and steam in a vaporization chamber that is heated to a temperature where all the chemicals react with each other. The reaction is facilitated by circulating the compounds in a turbulent flow, and useful products of the reaction are acetone and hydrogen. The residues generated in the reaction include water and some i-propyl alcohol. The acetone is then separated from the hydrogen gas in a scrubber and the production of acetone in this way results in a purity of 99% by volume.
Although acetone can also be generated by bacterial fermentation processes or by dry distillation of acetates, the cumene process came to dominate starting in 2011. This is due to the fact that the input chemicals for the benzene and propylene process are considered abundant and cheap. compounds. On the other hand, phenol and acetone are valuable industrial chemicals that are used in millions of tons worldwide in the 21st century.