Phenol and acetone
Phenol and its co-product acetone, made together from cumene, feed bisphenol A, phenolic resins, nylon, solvents and acrylic plastics.
Commodity chemicals · Aromatics · No. 30
- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 12.5 Mt of phenol and 7.5 Mt of acetone a year (2024, indicative, industry estimates)
- 1.8 t CO₂e per t
- HS 290711, 291411
You cannot make phenol without making acetone too: every tonne arrives with about 0.62 tonnes of its twin.
Chart: Illustration: Phenol and acetone
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
About 95% of phenol comes from the cumene process: benzene and propylene make cumene, air turns it into a hydroperoxide, and acid splits that into phenol and acetone.
Three things to know
- Phenol and acetone come out of the cumene process in a fixed ratio, so producers must sell both and the pair is priced together.
- China's phenol capacity rose from 3 Mt a year in 2019 to 7.19 Mt in 2025, keeping margins weak since 2023.
- India is adding capacity: Haldia Petrochemicals plans 350 kt a year by end-2026 and Deepak a new 300 kt plant.
The journey
- 1 Benzene, propylene0.87 t benzene, 0.47 t propylene
- 2 CumeneZeolite alkylation joins the two
- 3 HydroperoxideCumene oxidised with air
- 4 Acid cleavageSplits into phenol and acetone, 1:0.62
- 5 DerivativesBPA, phenolic resins, nylon, solvents, MMA