Patent 7807855 was granted and assigned to Sumitomo Chemical on October, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The invention provides a process for producing a hydroxy compound including the following steps:(a) chlorination step: a step of producing a chlorinated hydrocarbon and hydrogen chloride from a hydrocarbon and chlorine;(b) hydrolysis step: a step of producing a hydroxy compound and hydrogen chloride from the chlorinated hydrocarbon and water; and(c) oxidation step: a step of producing chlorine by reaction of oxygen and hydrogen chloride obtained in the chlorination step and/or the hydrolysis step, and(d) recycling at least a portion of the chlorine to the chlorination step.