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Phenol + acetone via the Hock process (cumene peroxidation)

PhenolAcetoneCumeneHock processCo-productionPeroxidation
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The route that makes ~95% of the world's phenol -- and co-produces acetone, the classic two-products-from-one-feed economics. It completes the cumene story: the existing cumene-synthesis example makes cumene from benzene + propylene; this oxidizes it onward. Two atom-balanced steps: air peroxidation (cumene + O2 -> cumene hydroperoxide, CHP) at low per-pass conversion, then acid-catalyzed cleavage (CHP -> phenol + acetone, near-complete). The spent air is vented, and the crude is separated by boiling point (acetone 56 C < cumene 152 C < phenol 182 C < CHP): high-purity phenol, crude acetone as the co-product, and unreacted cumene recovered for recycle. HONEST SCOPE: rigorous atom-balanced reaction stoichiometry; cumene hydroperoxide is a databank pseudo-component (no CoolProp entry) flashed under Peng-Robinson. The purification is spec-based component-split separators (the Aspen 'Sep'-block technique), not rigorous columns. The acetone product comes out ~98% because residual dissolved air (O2/N2) reports overhead with it -- a real plant adds a light-ends/degassing column for polymer-grade acetone; phenol comes out essentially pure. Recovered cumene is shown as an open recycle stream.

The flowsheet

The solved topology — every unit op's real duty, conversion, or split, read straight off a genuine converged solve.

Cumene
AIR
MIX
OXID
Coolox
Oxflash
Offgas
Cleave
Coolcl
Acetcol
Acetone
Cumcol
Cumene Recycle
Phencol
Phenol
Heavies

The stream table

Every stream's flow, temperature, pressure, and composition — real converged numbers, not placeholders.

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