RECOVERY OF PROPYLENE OXIDE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To recover propylene oxide while suppressing loss of propylene oxide following recovery operation of propylene oxide to a low level by adding a specific compound to an epoxidizing reaction solution containing propylene oxide and distilling the solution. SOLUTION: First, ethylbenzene hydroperoxide is epoxidized with propylene in the presence of an epoxidizing catalyst (e.g. molybdenum-containing homogeneous catalyst). Then the epoxidizing reaction solution is mixed with preferably 0.001-0.01 pt.wt. of the sum of an alkali metal and an alkaline earth metal of an alkali metalcontaining compound and/or an alkaline earth metal-containing compound (preferably sodium or potassium compound) based on 100 pts.wt. of the epoxidizing reaction solution and distilled preferably at 110-170 deg.C temperature of the bottom of a column under 0.4-20 atmospheric pressure of the top of the column to separate and recover propylene and propylene oxide from the top of the column. The alkali metal-containing compound, etc. are preferably added in a solution state.