Loss Prevention and Waste Minimization with Cascade-Engineered Green Synthesis of Bisphenol-A from Cumene Hydroperoxide and Phenol using Heteropoly Acid-Supported Clay Catalysts

Abstract

Bisphenol-A (BPA), an important raw material for the synthesis of epoxy resins and other polymers, is conventionally synthesised by acid-catalysed condensation of phenol and acetone, which produces 28 known byproducts. This leads to heavy costs for purification of the final product and loss of raw material. Phenol itself is almost exclusively manufactured via the three-step Hock process which includes vapour-phase isopropylation of benzene to cumene, autoxidation of cumene to cumene hydroperoxide (CHP), and finally the highly exothermic liquid acid-catalysed cleavage of CHP to acetone and phenol. The second step in the Hock process produces around 35% w/w CHP, which is then concentrated to 80% w/w. There are inherent process hazards involved in the manufacture and/or concentration of CHP, leading to run-away situations and explosions. Cascading these two series reactions in a single pot using the same catalyst fits elegantly into the concept of waste minimization and results in a greener and cleaner environment with added economic incentives. Traditionally, single-pot synthesis overlooks the concepts of atom economy, reaction mass efficiency and the environmental impact factor which are of prime importance to any methodology desiring to be called “green synthesis”. In this work, a novel technique of BPA synthesis from CHP and phenol was engineered in a single pot by using 20% w/w dodecatungstophosphoric acid (DTP) supported on acidic clay (K-10) at 100 °C, wherein CHP produced in cumene itself and was used along with phenol to make BPA. The process is atom economical, producing water as a coproduct. In comparison with the traditional process of making BPA from phenol and acetone, there is 58% enhancement in yield and 33% enhancement in BPA selectivity. There is also a 28% improvement in reaction mass efficiency and 25% reduction in the environmental impact factor. Along with preserving the atom economy, the hazard involved in the concentration and handling of CHP, which has resulted in numerous accidents in process industries, has been eliminated. In the current process CHP produced from cumene by the Hock process is used as such without separation, and this strategy avoids the hazards of concentration and costs of separation. Finally, a comprehensive parametric sensitivity was also done, and a Langmuir−Hinshelwood−Hougen−Watson (LHHW) model was developed to describe the reaction mechanism. The theoretical predictions were found to match the experimental data.